Germans From RussiaGENEALOGICAL REsEARCH OUTLINE

DRAFT ~

1786

This outline will introduce you to sources andstrategies for researching your German-Russianheritage. The Family History Library has a sig­nificant number of materials to help. Most of theLibrary's holdings are available on microfilmand can be used at the library in Salt Lake Cityor ordered at one of the family history centers.You can determine whether the library hasspecific records by using the Family HistoryLibrary Catalog". This catalog is available onmicrofiche and on compact disc computerformat. You can use it at the library in Salt LakeCity or at any of the family history centers.

You can obtain the address of the family historycenter nearest you by writing:

Family History Library35 North West Temple StreetSalt Lake City, UT 84150

IMPoRTANT DATES IN THE HISTORY

OF THE GERMANS FROM RUSSIA

As Imperial Russia expanded, a great needdeveloped for capable and industrious workers,especially farmers, to settle these new and oftenunsafe lands. Many Germans, eager to improvetheir positions in life, began to colonize inRussia. As their colonies grew, the Germansdeveloped more land and established "daughtercolonies." Many of these Russian Germans lateremigrated to the United States, Canada, andSouth America. The timetable here listsimportant events in the history of the Germans inRussia.

1762 Catherine the Great issues first mani­festo inviting foreigners to settle inRussia. No response.

1763 Catherine the Great issues secondmanifesto inviting foreigners to settlein Russia. This time it attracts

thousands of colonists fromGermany, largely because of thefollowing incentives.

~ Free transportation to Russia~ Large tracts of free land, plenty

of water, free timber~ The free exercise of religion~ Interest-free loans for purchasing

equipment~ Freedom from taxes for ten to

thirty years, depending on thearea of settlement

~ Exemption from military service.for themselves and theirdescendants

~ Local self-government in colonies

1764-1767 German colonies are founded alongthe Volga River. Isolated colonies arefounded in the Ukraine (includingBelovesh) and around St. Petersburg.

The first Black Sea colony, AltDanzig, is founded.

1789-1790 German Mennonite colonies arefounded in the Khortitsa district inthe south Russian province ofTaurida.

1804 Czar Alexander I invites colonists tosettle in the Black Sea region ofSouth Russia.

1804-1827 German colonies are founded in theBlack Sea region. Colonies are,estab­lished in the Odessa and Beresandistricts of Kherson province, in.theMolotschna district in Taurida,· andin the Crimea.

1813 Alexander I invites colonists to settlein Bessarabia province. (This wasterritory acquired from Turkey in1812.)

1814-1842 German colonies are founded inBessarabia.

1816 Two German colonies are founded ineastern Volhynia near Novograd­Volynskiy.

1817-1818 German colonies are founded in theNorth Caucasus (also called Trans­caucasia) and South Caucasus.

1854-1859 German Mennonite colonies foundednear Samara on the Volga river.

1861 Russian serfs are emancipated.

1860-1875 Germans settle in the Volhynia inlarge numbers. They are encouragedby Russian noblemen needing peas­ants to farm their lands. But they donot enjoy the favored status offeredto earlier German colonists.

1822-1832 German colonies founded in theMolotschna area of eastern Ukrainenear Berdyansk on the Black Sea andin the Mariupol district (also calledPlaner or Gronau district).

1831-1832 Germans from Russian Poland settlein western Volhynia near Lutsk andRovno.

1871 The Imperial Russian governmentrepeals the manifestos of Catherinethe Great and Alexander I. TheGerman colonists were to~ theirspecial status and privill:ges andbecome subject to Russian militaryservice after a ten year grace period.

~

1849 A group of German colonists fromthe Beresan district emigrate to Ohio.

1872-1873 Several groups emigrate from theOdessa area to Nebraska and theDakotas. Scouts from other Black

Areas of German ColonizationIn Russia

•~

Samara

\'\

BeIovesh

Beresan

SouthCaucasus

You can also get information about village co­ordinators as well as about how to become oneyourself by writing to one of the followingchairpersons (include a stamped addressed enve­lope):

Carol Harless595 Camellia WayLos Altos, California 94024

Margaret Freeman1015 22nd StreetSanta Monica, California 90402

BmLIOGRAPHY

The following are books of interest to those withGerman-Russian ancestry. These and many otherbooks about the German-Russians are availablein the collection of the Family History Library.Many of these are available on microfilm ormicrofiche and can be ordered at Family HistoryCenters. To find Family History Library bookand film numbers, and to fmd additional titles,see the subject eata10g of the Family HistoryLibrary Catalog on microfiche under the headingGERMANS - RUSSIA.

Geisinger, Adam. From Catherine toKhrushchev; the story ofRussia'sGermans. Battleford, Saskatchewan:Marian Press, 1974.

Koch, Fred C. The Volga Germans in Russiaand the Americas. from 1763 to thePresellJ. University Park, PA: ThePennsylvania State University Press,1977.

Miller, Michael M. Researching the Germansfrom Russia: Annotated Bibliography ofthe Germans from Russia HeritageCollection at the Nonh Dakota StateUniversity Library; with a Listing of theLibrary Materials at the Germans fromRussia Heritage Society. Fargo, NO:North Dakota Institute for RegionalStudies, 1987.

Rath, George. The Black Sea Germans in theDakotas. Freeman, SO: Pine Hill Press,1977.

Copyright • 1992 by Corporatioo of the President of TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All RightsReserved. Printed in USA.

The Family HislDry Library. Second DRAFT Edition,September 1995. dIllS (MDraft Editioo" indicates that thispublieatioo, although used for expediency, has not beenofficially completed and may have deficiencies. Copyingis prohibited.)

Family HislDry Library CaIaIog is a trademark of theCorporation of the President of The Church of JesusChrist of Latter.<Jay Saints. No part of this documentmay be reproduced in any form without the prior writtenpermission of the publisher. Send all requests for suchpermission to:

Copyrights and Permissions CoordinatorFamily HislDry DepartmentSO East North Temple StreetSalt Lake City, UT 84150

Clio 71 S.11ft)INCj 17-5111f~

J~)8

Black Sea migrants, respectively.)8. References or additional infonnation are at

times provided. The following are included:a) RL stands for Revision List or CensusList. These imIiiigration lists provide infor­mation only for the Black Sea area for theyears 1816; partly for 1811, 1808 and 1858.The Revision Lists are found on pages 499to 972. There is a place name index to theRevision lists on pages 1015 and 1016. b )PL stands for Passport Lists. These lists (Ithrough VIII) are for a small part of theBlack Sea colonies. These provide the itiner­ary from Germany to Russia. These lists arefound on pages 973 to 1014. c) CK standsfor Conrad Keller. Conrad Keller publishednames in his book, The Gel7TUJn Colonies InSouth Russia noted earlier. d) OW stands forthe book by Karl Stumpp Ostwanderung derWQrttemberger 1816-1822. (Emigration fromWiirttemberg to the East 1816-1822). Thislists names of migrants. (Not available at theFamily History Library) e) Jb stands forJahrbuch des DAI (Yearbook of the DAI).Published 1929 in Stuttgart. (Not available atthe Family History Library) 1) Abbreviationsand such symbols as *, +, and co are ex­plained on pages 117, 167 and 204.

EXAMPLE;

Ackermann, Johannes, Ww., 41 J., ausHeutensbauchlBacknang-Wu, 1819, nachHoffnungstaI/Od; RL: 58, 73 S.: Johannes 11,Christian 9.

Johannes Ackermann was a widower, age 41,when he migrated from Heutensbauch IBacknang in Wiirttemberg (Germany) in 1819 toHoffnungstaI, Odessa District Russia. Moreinformation is given in Revision Lists 58 and 73.His sons, Johannes 11 and Christian 9, werewith him.

To find Revision List 58 and 73, tum to page1015 and 1016 and find HoffnungstaI/Od.Ackermann migrated to Hoffnungstal/Od. Thelists for HoffnungstaIl Od. are found on page678. The information pertaining to Johannes

7

Ackermann is found under 58 (page 683) and 73(page 684).

SOCIETIES, LmRARIES, AND .ARCHIVES

There are several organizations in the UnitedStates and Canada that foster and promoteRussian-German culture, history, and genealogy.

American Historical Society of Germansfrom Russia

631 D StreetLincoln, Nebraska 68502-1199

Telephone (402) 474-3363

Germans from Russia Heritage Society1008 East Central AvenueBismarck, North Dakota 58501

Telephone (701) 223-6167

Society for Ancestral Research ofGermans from Poland &Wolhynia

3492 West 39th AvenueVancouver, British ColumbiaCanada V6N 3A2

Telephone (604) 263-3458

These organizations sell books and maps andproduce membership publications of interest andvalue to those of Russian-German heritage.

VllLAGE COORDINATORS

Genealogical research in the German colonies inRussia will, in time, be greatly facilitated by therecently instituted system of village coordinators.These are individuals who coordinate the gather­ing of information and compiling data-basesabout the inhabitants of specific villages. Youare encouraged to share your family informationwith the village coordinator for the village yourancestors came from. You may also benefit frominformation already submitted by others. A listof villages and village coordinators is availableat the Family History Library (in the "Germansin Russia" reference binder by the Europeanreference counter on Basement level I).

Russian-Americap Genealogical Archive Service(RAGAS). You may request bilingual researchapplication forms by contacting:

RAGAS1929 18th Street, NWWashington, DC 20009

REcORDS IN NORTII AMERICA

Some emigrant groups, however, may havebrought their records with them when they leftRussia. Thus, the vital records of a few of thesecolonies, especially Mennonite colonies, mightbe in collections in the United States andCanada. If you are looking for Mennoniterecords, check with the Mennonite congregationin North America where the family first settled.

North Dakota received many immigrant German­Russians from the Kherson provinces of Russia.Their pattern of settlement in this country isdirectly related to their pattern of settlement inRussia. Catholic fanulies from the Beresanregion and many from Crimea settled in Starkcounty, North Dakota. Catholic families fromthe Katschurgan and Leibenthal regions settled inEmmons, Logan, and McIntosh counties. Inmany cases, the original Catholic immigrantsrecorded their heritage in the records of the newCatholic parish in North Dakota. Whenresearching the genealogy of German-RussianCatholic families from North Dakota, it isimportant to determine where they originallysettled in North Dakota. The records of theCatholic parish in that place will then help intracing your ancestry. Priests are usually happyto help those who wish to research the records inperson and may help by correspondence.Remember that in some cases the records of oneparish may have been consolidated with those ofanother parish. For those whose ancestors settledin Stark county, considerable research hasalready been done and the information writtenup. The following books will prove to be ofgreat value:

5

Aberle, George P. Monsignor. Pioneers andtheir Sons. Bismark, N.D.: TumbleweedPress, 1980. (Family History LibraryUS/Canada collection book number978.4 D3a; FHL film number 1,035,608items 1 and 2)

Volume one includes 165 and volume two 2,120family histories of Catholic families in andaround Stark county, North Dakota. In mostcases, these histories trace the direct line two orthree generntions back through Russia and backto Germany.

Keller, Conrad. The German Colonies in SouthRussia, 1804-1904 (A. Becker,translator). Saskatoon, Canada: WesternProducer, 1968-1973. (Family HistoryLibrary Europe collection book number947.7 F2k; Vol. 1 on FHL film number873,989, Vol. 2 on film number1,181,597 item 3).

Volume two includes detailed information aboutthe Beresan Catholic colonies. For each colony alist of inhabitants in 1839-1840 is provided withages, relationships, and places of origin inGermany.

Brendle, Johannes. Aus deutschen Kolonien inKurschurganer Gebiet [From the GermanColonies in the Kuchurgan district]Stuttgart: Ausland und Heimat Verlags­Aktiengesellschaft, 1930. (FamilyHistory Library Europe collection booknumber 943 W2sd; not microfilmed).

Includes detailed information in German aboutthe Kuchurgan Catholic colonies near Odessa. Itprovides lists of settlers for each village withages, relationships, and places of origin inGermany.

For Mennonites the following book can be veryhelpful:

Unruh, BenjlUTlil! Heinrich. Die niederlandisch­niederdeutschen HillJergrwuIe dernJe1l1lOnitischen OstwandeTWIgen im 16.,17•• und 19. Jahrhunden [TheNetherlands=tow German background ofthe Mennonite migration to the East inthe 16th, 18th and 19th centuries].Karlsruhe: Self-published, 1955.

This book, in Gennan, includes backgroundhistory on the Mennonite movement into Russia.Lists are then given of families according to thetown in Russia where they settled and timeperiod, including in many cases birthplaces inGennany or Poland.

TRACING FAMU.IFS BACK TOGERMANY

Despite difficulties in accessing records inRussia, it is often possible for you to suc­cessfully trace your lineage to Germany andback to the early 16OOs. 10 some cases wherevital records are unavailable or have significantgaps it is difficult, if not impossible, to establisha line of ancestors through the 1800s in Russia.Nevertheless, even in these cases there may befamily sources or printed sources that enable youto do so. You may have older relatives who canremember several generations of infonnation, orsuch infonnation may be recorded in familyBibles or other family documents.

The Gennan colonists who settled in Russiacame mostly from southern Gennany, principallyWiirttemberg. If you can determine the specificplace where the family originated you can tracethe family back using German records micro- .filmed by the Family History Library. 10 manycases, however, the colonists spent a generationin Poland before moving on to Russia. If youcan determine the place inPoland where the family lived, clues necessaryto trace the family back to Gennany may befound in the Polish records. Many of thesePolish records are also available through theFamily History Library.

The following work is of great value to those

6

researching Germans in Russia. It lists most ofthe original German colonists who came toRussia and usually indicates their place of originin Germany.

Stumpp, Karl. The Emigration from Ge17Tli11fJ toRussia in the Years 1763 (01862. Tiibingen:Karl Smmpp, 1972. (Family History LibraryEurope collection book number 943 W2k; alsoon FHL microfiche number 6,000,829 or onFHL microfilm number 1,183,529). This book isalso available for purchase from the RussianGennan organizations listed on page 7.

This book is the single most valuable source forthose researching Gennan families from Russia.It includes excellent infonnation in English onthe history of Germans in Russia (pages 15-40)and lists of Gennan emigrants to Russia. Forgenealogists, the most valuable part of the bookis the alphabetical lists of emigrants. These aredivided into three sections.

1. The emigrants to the Volga region, pages117 to 165.

2. The Mennonite emigrants to South Russiaand the province of Samara, pages 167 to204.

3. The emigrants to the Black Sea regions(except Mennonites), pages 204 to 497.

lofonnation about each emigrant listed ispresented in the following order:

1. Surname2. Given name (first name)3. Given name (second name)4. Age (this is not always listed)5. The place in Gennany the migrant left. (The

village or town name is spelled out; thedistrict name is abbreviated. Abbreviationdesignations are listed on pages 117, 167,and 204 for Volga, Mennonite and Black Seamigrants, respectively.)

6. Year of migration7. Destination in Russia. (The village is spelled

out; the district name is abbreviated.Abbreviation designations are listed on pages117,267 and 204 for Volga, Mennonite and

SoURCFS FOR. GENEALOGICALREsEARCH

Vital Records: Vital-records of birth, marriage,and death are needed to undertake actualresearch in Russia. Such records were kept bythe churches. Laws were passed in the mid1820s requiring Protestant and Catholics to maketranscripts of their birth (christening), marriage,and death (burial) records. Records may havebeen kept earlier, however. These transcriptsand some original church records have in mostcases ended up in state archives.

REcORDS AT THE FAMILY HIsToRYLmRARY

The Family History Library has only recentlybegun acquiring records from archives in Russiaand Ukraine. Nevertheless, some vital records ofGerman colonies have already been acquiredfrom other sources, including the following:

Church records of the Lutheran colonies inBessarabia. These films do not cover allcolonies and are incomplete in many cases.Unfortunately, many of these films are ofpoor quality. (Most of the Bessarabian filmsare also available at the library of theUniversity of North Dakota at Grand Forks,North Dakota and at the headquarters of theAmerican Historical Society of Germansfrom Russia in Lincoln, Nebraska.)

.. Church Records of the Lutheran parish ofRoschischtsche which had jurisdiction overall the German colonies in western Volhynia.

.. Church records from some German coloniesin Bukowina and Galicia, formerly inAustria.

These films may be ordered and used at anyFamily History Center. For film numbers checkthe microfiche locality section of the FamilyHistory Library Catalog under one of thefollowing:

4

RUSSIA (EMPIRE), BSSSARABIA, (PARISH)

RUSSIA (EMPIRE), VOLHYNJA, (PARISH)

AUSTRIA, GAuzrEN, (PARISH)

AUSTRIA, BUKOWINA, (PARISH)

The library recently acquired church recordtranscripts from the Lutheran Consistory ofSt. Petersburg. These pertain to German­Lutheran parishes in the Black Sea area,Bessarabia, Volhynia as well as areas aroundSt. Petersburg itself, but do not include GermanMennonites or Catholics. These films cover thetime period from 1833 to 1885. The filmnumbers are listed in the Family History LibraryCatalog. The fastest way to fmd them is on thecompact disk version of the catalog on computer.Select the "Computer Number Search" and inputthe number 710454. This is not a film numberbut rather a computer number which can quicklyfmd the catalog entry with all the film numbers.Unfortunately these films are very difficult touse without the index to parishes which indicateswhere and on what films you can fmd specificlocalities and years. This is The Lutherans ofRussia: VoL 1 - Parish Index to the ChurchBooks ofthe Evangelical-Lutheran Consistory at

St. Petersburg, 1833-1885, by Thomas K.Edlund. (St. Paul: Germanic GenealogicalSociety, P.O. Box 16312, St. Paul, MN 55116,published 1994; FHL book no.947.2 K23e 1994; not yet on microfiche.) Thelater records of St. Petersburg archive upthrough 1820 are at the St. Petersburg cityarchive and have not been microfilmed.

REcORDS. IN ARCHIVFS

The Family History Library as yet has NO

records from the Volga region, nor from theCaucasus. The transcripts of the VolgaEvangelical Lutheran colonies appear to be at thestate archives in Saratov. It may be possible toget information from these records throughprivate researchers in Russia. For moreinformation about this contact the AmericanHistorical Society of Germans from Russia inLincoln, Nebraska, listed at the end of thispaper. Research in archives in Russia, Belarusand Ukraine can also be arranged through the

1874

Sea colonies and the Volga coloniesinvestigate opportunities inAmerica.

The Imperial Russian governmentamends the 1871 decree and institutescompulsory military conscriRtion ofGerman colonists immediately.

been farming for generations. Volga Germanssettled mostly in Colorado, Nebraska, andKansas. The greatest concentration of Black SeaGermans is in the Dakotas. German Mennonitesfrom Russia settled in Kansas, Colorado,Nebraska, Minnesota, North and South Dakota,California, and Manitoba. Most VolhynianGermans settled in Michigan;-wisconsm and Jf­Western Canada.

1874-1914 Thousands of German colonistsemigrate from Russia to North andSouth America.

1914 The First World War begins.

1917 Political unrest in Russia leads to tworevolutions and the beginning ofSoviet communist rule.

1919 The United States government enactsstrict immigration laws which greatlyslows the tide of immigrants. Canadacontinues to receive Germanimmigrants from Russia.

1920-1923 Famine in Russia. Over 150,000Voiga Germans i11e~of starvation.-----_.--- "----_ .... - ------._ .. -_.~----_ ...-.__.,.

1928-1940 German farm~ and property are con­fis<c~·hy the stare-:anaveriTlaiiSireforced onto co!l~iy~!~s.

1939-1945 The Second World War. Germany isat war with the Soviet Union.Germans are persecuted and manyare moved to Siberia and the centralAsian republics. Many who have theopportunity flee to Germany.

1991 The communist party falls frompower and the Soviet Union breaksup into independent states.

RUSSIAN GERMANS IN THE UNITED

STATES AND CANADA

In North America, the Germans from Russiawere attracted to the great prairies, which werenot unlike the steppes of Russia where they had

3

FINDING PLACE OF ORIGIN IN RUSSIA

The frrst step in researching your Russian­German genealogy is to determine specificallywhere in Russia your ancestors lived. You maybe able to fmd out the town your ancestor camefrom by talking to older family members. Thefamily may have documents concerning the placeof origin such as old passports, birth or marriagecertificates, journals, photographs, letters, or afamily Bible. Even if something is written inGerman or Russian, it may contain valuableinformation. Get help in reading it. Othersources are found in local libraries andcourthouses and at the Family History Libraryincluding: naturalization applications andpetitions; obituaries; county histories; marriageand death certificates; and American passengerlists of arrivals as well as European lists ofdepartures.

You will want to verify the spelling and locationof places where your family lived. A goodlisting of German colonies in Russia is ~~Names of German Colonies in Russia and theRomanian Dobrudja" by Armand Bauer (Fargo,N.D.: North Dakota Institute for RegionalStudies, 1974). It is found on pages 130-183 ofRussian German Senlemenrs in the United Statesby Richard Sallet, Richard. (Fargo, N.D.: NorthDakota Institute for Regional Studies, 1974; onFHL book number US/Can or Europe 973 F2rs;not microfilmed.) This book is available atsome public libraries or can be purchased fromone of the Russian-German organizations listedin this paper under "Societies, Libraries, andArchives. "

WORLD CONFERENCE

ON RECORDS

AND GENEALOGICAL SEtv11NAR

Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

5-8 August 1969

EMIGRATION FROM GERMANY THROUGH POLAND

AND RUSSIA TO THE U.S.A.

By

Prof. George Rath

"Ruord Pmtullon man Unctrtam W'orfd"

COP'YIIGRTCl 1969 THE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF lAnU·OAY SAINTS. INC. AREA o· 9

EMIGRATION FROM GERMANY THROUGH POLANDAND RUSSIA TO THE U.S.A.

By

Prof. George Rath

From early times Germany has been a country surrounded by many powerful nations. Ithas had no possibilities for expansion to make room for it's growing population exept bymeans of force or emigration to other countries. We see, therefore, the population fromGermany emigrating to countries east and west of their homeland.

In the course of the German emigration to the eastern countries one can distinguish twophases:

1. The emigration at the beginning of the Medieval Age which resulted in the buildingof cities by the merchants and craftsmen in those countries where they settled.

2. The emigration during the latter part of the 18th century to the farm or opencountry resulting in the colonization of idle land,

We deal in our discourse especially with the latter emigration. Originally directed to theEast, it ended to a greet extent in the West; in the United States, Canada and the countries ofSouth America. (1) It would take much time to go deeply into it, and we can only take here ashort glance at it in our discourse.

Transylvsnis

It was the Hungarian king Geise II (1141 . 61) who invited the Saxons from Flanders andinhabitants from the Middle and Lower Rhine to settle and cultivate his land. Seventy yearslater the king Andrew II called the German Order to the Burzenland. The Order of the GermanKnights and the Saxon peasants practically brought Transylvania to life. With the years aroseblooming cities, like Hermannstadt, Mediasch, Klausenburg, Kronstadt and others. Before thefirst world war there lived in Siebenburgen about 250,000 Germans. Ther Germans of the Zips,46,000, are a part of this group.

The Banst

1

A continuation of the emigration to this region took place under the Austrian EmpressMaria Theresia (1717·1780) and her son Joseph" (1741·1790) in the Banat. This country liesin the lower areas of the rivers Theis, Maros, and Temes. It was won from the Turks in 171B.When Maria Theresia heard of the colonization plans of Catherine II of Russia, she decided tocolonize this land for Austria. With a great system of canals the marshy country was drainedand then cleaned of brush and trees. About 45 acres of land and many privileges were offeredto settlers. They came from almost the same countries as the settlers who went to the Volga,Alsace- Lorraine, Baden, Wurttemberg, and Palatinate. Often members of the same familyseparated in a manner that one or some went to Russia and the others to the Banat.Correspondence continued for a while but later stopped. About 1,000 families were originallysettled in the Banat. Later came more settlers, who had to be satisfied with less land.121

Poland.

Poland profited from it's beginning from the German immigration. The cities of Krakau,Warsaw and many others were in the thirteenth century but little villages. The Germanmerchants and craftsmen developed them into industrious and important cities. Polish kingsgranted great privileges to the German immigrants over a period of several centuries. Amongthese the most important was the privilege of their own jurisdiction under the Magdeburgianlaw. However Kasimir the Great (1333·1370) deprived them of that privilege and from thattime there began a decline of the German cities and the influence of the Germans. The citiesbecame "Polanized" and the German immigration came to an end for a time.

However, in the later part of the 18th century German immigration was renewed, underfavor of the Polish gentry. (3) They leased land to the German farmers from their estates,usually for a period of 30·40 years. According to the Polish law this privilege was hereditary,Thus on the Vistula River sprang up numerous settlements of German farmers. When Polandwas divided in 1772, Prussia and Austria began to colonize their Polish areas with Germancolonists. The Western part of Poland received at that time a great influx of German colonists.Before the first world war Poland had a population of about 700,000 Germans who lived inboth the cities and the country. (4)

Galicia

The so·called Tolerance edict of Emperor Joseph " in 1771 found it's applicationespecially in the province of Galicia. Of course Germans settled here very early from the oldersettlements of Poland, especially in the cities, but after the division of Poland, new groups ofcolonists came from West Galicia, Germany, and Austria proper, and settled especially inEastern Galicia. They were both Catholic and Protestant. Land, money and loans (51 were

2

granted to them, but the country was already very densely settled. The Ruthenians or, as theycall themselves now, Ukrainians, were an agriculturally minded people. The German coloniesamong them remained small. Usually some trade or handycraft had to be learned to go alongwith farming. These German settlements were extensively spread over the country, (6) theirnumber totaling about 50,000 persons.

Bukowina

This province had already received German immigrants in the Medieval Age. They cameinto that country, from Transylvania and Galicia. The immigrants of this earty time weremostly merchants, craftsmen, teachers and officials. The Moldavian princes were alwaysfavorably inclined to the Germans and granted them many privileges. When the first Germansarrived, Czernowitz was only a linle village. After Austria had taken over the rule of thecountry in 1774, it brought in a strong influx of German senlers in order to better cultivatethe land. Numerous villages sprang up and other German people settled in the cities. TheGerman language was taught in 500 public schools. In 1875 a German university was foundedin Czernowitz. (7) The cities in this country in time took on an European aspect because ofthe houses built by the Germans. The province had .about 75,000 persons of German descent.

Volhynia

The Province of Volhynia was taken over by the R\lssians after the first division ofPoland, but the Polish influence was still strong for many years. The Mennonites, who hadsettled in the neighboring province of Kiev at Michalin, moved from there to VOlhynia around1723. It is definitely known that some of them settled in this province in 1773, coming fromGraudenz, Germany. After the Polish uprising in 1830 the Polish gentry began also in thisprovince as in Poland proper to invite German settlers to their estates as renters, woodcuttersand laborers. (8) They leased to them their land or used them to cut lumber in their forests,which was to a great extent sold to German factories. (9)

In 1860 after a renewed Polish uprising the German influx became even larger. The poorPolish gentry was anxious to make use of their marshy lands and forests and invited manythousands of new settlers. The settlements in this province arose before the first world war toabout 500, but were usually very small in size. The German population in this province totaledabout 200,000. (10) Almost all of them were Lutheran, except of course the Mennonites, butneither group ever became prosperous. (11)

Russia

3

Already Czar Ivan IV, the Terrible, (1533-1584) had called craftsmen, merchants andofficers from Germany and senled them near Moscow in a villiage called "NyemetzkayaSloboda", Czar Peter I had also invited many Germans when he built his new capital St.Petersburg. But it was the Empress Catherine II, who with her manifesto of July 22, 1763,brought about a great exodus from Germany to Russia. Not only Germans were invited tocome and to senle in her domain but Western Europeans in General.

The unsatisfactory conditions in Germany favored her invition. In fact the populationsuffered immensly under the steady wars. There were the three Silesian wars between Austriaand Prussia; 1740·1742; 1742·1745; and 1756·1763. Interwoven with them were the AustrianSuccession war 1741·1748; and the Bavarian Succession war 1778-1779. Finally the FrenchRevolution came in 1789 (12) midst the general poverty and misery the call to Russia came formany as a relief or last resort.

Of most importance among the provisions of the manifesto, are the first 10 sections.Essentially they promise and grant to the senlers the following:

1. Freedom of Religion

2. Exemption from taxes for a period of ten to thirty years.

3. loans for the aquisiton of necessary tools.

4. Thirty to sixty hectars of land.

5. Exemption from military service for "all the time of their residence in Russia."

6. Self·rule in church and school.

Item number seven, which deals with the freeing from military service, reads thus:

"Paseliwschiesya w Rassii innostrannye wa wso wremya prebywanyia swayewo, ni wwayennuyu, ni w graschdanskuyu sluschbu protiwu woli ich apredeleny ne budut."

In English:

"The foreigners which have settled in Russia shall during all the time of their living therenot be put into military or civil service against their will."

Government agents spread copies of the edict translated into different languages inGermany, France, Switzerland, Holland, Austria and Prussia. About 25,000 persons wererecruited and directed to the sea ports of luebeck, Rosslau and also some Hollandish portsincluding Kronstadt. (13) Some of the emigrants were settled around St. Petersburg in 13

4

villages, but the great majority was sent to the Volga over Novgorod, Tver, Moscow, Ryavanand Pensa. They landed in Saratov and were placed under the direction of a "Board ofGuardians", This board settled the newcomers on both sides of the Volga river. Forty·fourvillages. were founded on the so·called hillside and 60 on the meadowside. some to thenorth·east and some to the south of Sarotov. (14)

The emigration to Russia went on till 1768, when the German states placed a prohibitionon further emigration, This was not, however, until Germany in Russia had become the largestcolonist group. Before the First World War it counted 554,000 persons. 116)

In spite of the measures of the western states, the emigration to Russia continued. In theyears from 1765·1789 a number of Protestant and Catholic colonies were founded in theprovinces of Cherson, Voronezch, Tschernigov and Ekaterinoslav. (17)

Mennonites

It was Potyomkin, governor general of South Russia, who in Company with general vonTrappe succeeded in interesting the Prussian Mennonites on the Vistula River in the lowlandsof Danzig to settle in the newly aquired areas of the Dnieper region. After having sent twodelegates for investigation they, on the promise of an application of the privileges of theEmpress being extended to them, moved down the Dnieper in 1789 and with 288 familiesfounded 8 villages on and by the island of Chortiza in the province of Ekaterinoslav. later anew tract of land was given to the Mennonites by the government along the Molotschna Riverin the province of Taurida. By 1840 this group had founded 46 villages in South Russia, whichhad a population of about 10,000. The Mennonites were very successful in their farming andfor the most part became wealthy,

Hutterites

Related to the Mennonites are the Hutterites, a religious group which after manyhardships and persecutions was reorganized in Moravia by Jakob Hutter, from whom itaccepted it's name. It finally found an asylum on the estate of Count Rumyanzew inWischenka on the Dyesna River. From here the Hutterites, with the help of the Mennoniteleader Johann Cornies, moved to the province of Taurida where they, in 1842,( 19) foundedthe village Huttertal in the district of Melitopol with 78 families. later three more villages werefounded by them.

Colonization in the Black Sea Region

5

A continuation of the colonization in Russia was undertaken by Emperor Alexander I. byan edict published on February 20, 1804, he asserted the privileges granted by Catherine IIwith regard to military service and homerrule in church and school, and doubled the landapportionment. The colonists had to have property in the amount of about $300.00, bemarried, and present documents of good behaviour. These colonists were to be model farmersfor the other nationalities. (20)

While the Volga Germans came predominantly from Hesse and to a small extent fromRhenish Franconia, Palatinate and Wurttemberg, this group came mostly from Werttemberg,Alsace-Iorraine, the Palatinate and 8avaria. (21)

As to religion, they were both Protestants and Catholics. A part of them became Baptistsin Russia. The provinces in which these immigrants settled were 8essarabia, Cherson,Ekaterinoslav, Taurida, and the peninsula of Taurida. They founded 181 villages. With theother colonies the Russian Empire may have had 300 so-called "Mother colonies". (22) Theirpopulation at the beginning may have been about 100,000 persons.

Economic and Cultural Development.

There was a great difference in the economical development of the Volga and Black SeaGermans. The Volga colonies practiced the so-called "Mir" system. According to this the landided among the inhabitants. This slowed down the economic development to a large degree. Atthe Black Sea, though, the original colonial land had to stay with one member of the family.The others had to look out for themselves. Thus the whole village had to look for the neededroom or land for the next generation. The so called "mother colonies" had to buy again andagain land for the so-called "Landlosen" i.e. those of the colony who were without land. Onthe newly bought land originated the "daughter colonies." At the Volga, the government twiceadded land to the original amount; about three million acres. Nevertheless, the need for moreland remained. The surplus of the population stayed and was an obstacle in the economicprogress.

In the mllllntime at the Black Sea, the villages bought about twelve million acres of landfor "Landlosen", or land-lacking, to avoid overpopulation. (23) The land, however, was neverbought from the Russian farmers or peasants. It was the Russian gentry who sold their lands athigh prices to the German settlers. Naturally the price of the land rose very fast. In 1910 thehectar - about three acres - was sold for 300 rubles, ($150.001. Every year more land came intothe hands of the German colonists, for they were thrifty and industrious people.

An example may serve to illustrate this. In the provinces of Bessarabia, Cherson, Tauriaand Ekaterinoslav, the German population averaged 6% but the amount of their land was 23%.(24) Conditions were similar in other provinces in South Russia where the number of Germans,

6

including all religious confessions, was about 500,000 souls. They were very much spread outon account of the necessity to make room for their activities as farmers. Daughter colonieswere founded in the Don province, the Kuban, the Caucasus, Orenburg, Turke.tan and Siberia.Before the first World War there were about 3,000 larger or smaller vi.llages with a populationof 1,700,000, not counting the Germans in the Baltic provinces, Congress Poland and PolishVolhynia. (25)

The civil rule of the colonies was executed by the Committee of Guardians in Saratov andOdessa. The direction of the religious matters lay in the hands of the General Consistory in St.Petersburg. (26) The language used in school and church was the native German language. Thegovernment did not contribute to the maintenance of the church nor the schools. They wereall maintained by the colonists. There was seldom found a person who could not read or write.Illiterates were practically unknown among the Russian-Germans, while according to thecensus of 1897 the Russian population was as high as 78% illiterate. (27)

Time does not allow us to continue with the destiny of the Germans in the RussianEmpire. We confine ourselves here only to these few lines.

During the First World War the infamous government of Czar Nikolas II issued the Actsof February 2 and December 13 of 1915 by which the German colonists lost all rights to theirland and property. He could not live up to the execution of these laws for, as we know, he andhis family were executed in Katharinenburg. Kerensk y postponed the execution of these laws,but the Communists had their chance to realize the ideas of Nikolas. They deprived allGermans in European Russia of their possessions and sent them to Siberia or Turkestan. Not asingle German village is left on the European soil of Russia. But in spite of all the desaster, aswe hear, the German colonists came slowly back. (28)

Immigration to the United States

On June 4, 1871 the government of Czar Alexander II issued a decree by which theGerman colonists lost all the privileges granted to them by Catherine II and Alexander I. Eventhe name was taken away. They were no more "Coloniste" but settlers (in Russian"Paselyane"). They still were not made "Krestyane", as the Russian peasants were officiallycalled, but in fact subjected to the "Semstwo", and made equal to the Russian peasantry. Forthem, this was a discrimination of their social standing. (29) They began to look for someother place for settlement. North and South America became the countries to which theyemigrated.

"Among the many good reasons which motivated the immigration of theRussian-Germans to the United States, four are outstanding: 1- General unrest; 2- thewanderlust; 3- the Ukase of June 4, 1871 and; 4- land hunger coupled with land need." (30)Thus writes A. Schock, in his book: In quest of free land. This is all true, but the moral side of

7

the problem also played an immense role.

In the United States, meanwhile, the West was conquered. Hundreds of millions of acresof land were lying idle waiting for an industrious human hand to wake them up.

The railroades . The Union Pacific. Santa Fe, Burlington, Northern Pacific, and otherstook upon them the task of Iinking the Pacific with the Atlantic. The federal governmentgranted them 181,000,000 acres of land, to the individual states 140,000,000 acres. Thefederal land office sold 100,000,000 acres to settlers. People from their own "old west" andfrom Western Europe came across the ocean to take homesteads by the thousands andhundreds of thousands.

Congress provided laws to dispose of these huge portions of land. Four laws wereoutstanding for getting settlers for the West: 1· the preemption law of 1841; 2· The homesteadlaw of 1862 which offered an acre for $1.25; 3- the Timber and Culture Act; and 4- the DesertAct of 1877. (31) Agents were employed by the federal government and railrOad companies aswell as by individual states to invite settlers from their own country and Europe. These agentsand millions of pamphlets found their way also to Russia. (32)

The first group of Russian-Germans had arrived much earlier though; namely in 1849. Itwas William Schauffler, a Russian-German, who had studied at Andover, Massachusetts, andbecame a Presbyterian missionary for the Jews in Constantinople, who pointed out to a groupof pietistic minded people in Odessa the religious freedom they could enjoy in America. (33)Another minister of the gospel, Johannes Bonekemper, from Umbrecht, Germany, who was incharge of a parish north of Odessa, also a pietist like Schauffler, decided to move with hisgroup to the United States. However, he went to the then Turkish Dobrudja and his people,about 80 persons, left without him (34) for America where they landed on the 10th ofNovember, 1849. This was the first group of Russian-Germans to come to the United States.However, soon after their arrival they dispersed after suffering many hardships.

A few of them came to Sandusky. Ohio, where they settled. One of them, LUdwig Bette,who had become a wine grower and wealthy man on Kelleys Islandd in Lake Erie, decided in1B72 to visit his relatives in Russia. While there he talked about the wonderland America, andafter what had happened since June of 1871, he found willing ears to listen. He was hardlyhome, before his closest relatives followed him, and he placed them on his farm. About 75persons came during the winter of 1872-73, and settled in Sandusky, waiting until spring tomove westward. A delegetion sent to the West found South Dakota to be a most suitable placeofr settlement. On April 17th these Russian-German immigrants landed in Yankton and tookhomesteads 20 miles north of that city. They called the settlement Odessa. (35)

The first settlers from Russia in Nebraska were a group of 46 persons who came in April1873 from the province of Bessarabia and settled at Columbus. (36)

B

In the fall of 1873 a group of about 300 persons came on the ships Cimbria andThuringias from the province of Cherson, and settled in and near Sutton, Nebraska, (37) withsome going to South Dakota.

The Mennonites

The Mennonites had sent to St. Petersburg one delegation after the other to bring aboutthe change of th June edict. But all was in vain. Finally, upon the advice of one of theirleaders, Cornelius Jansen, and on the invitation of the Canadian government, they and theHutterites sent over to Canada and the United States three delegations to look for possibilitiesto settle. One of these groups reached an agreement with the Northern Pacific railroad forsettlements in North Dakota. (38) However, the agreement was not kept. Two of the delegateswere received by President Grant, in New York, but he could not give them the assurance ofexemtion for military service. (39)

The petition of Cornelius Jansen and his friends to the Congress for the setting aside of anarea of 200,000 acres for the Mennonites was also not granted, They had to accept the lawsmade for all immigrants. (40) The American Mennonites organized a "Committee ofGuardians" which directed their friends from Russia and assisted them. The State of Kansasreceived the majority of the Mennonite immigration, about 600 families, with South Dakotareceiving about 200 families, and Nebraska about 15. (41)

The Volga Germans

In 1874 the Evangelical and Catholic Volga German colonies held meetings whichresulted in the election of 14 delegates whom they sent to the United States to look for land.Nine of them were Evangelical and five were Catholic. They came over on the ship Schiller orthe Hamburg America Line. They were in the states of ARkansas, Kansas, and Nebraska. InSeptember of the same year the immigration from the Volga began. The Pretestants went toSutton, Nebraska, and the Catholics to Kansas. Some of the Protestants also went to Kansas.

The Hutterites

The first Hutterites arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska, in July 1873. Scouting from here forland and not finding what they expected, they went to Yankton, South Dakota, where theystayed until August, 1874, when they bought an estate west of town on which they foundedtheir first "Bruderhof" . brotherly estate. (42) At the sam'! time they also settled at SilverLake in Turner County, and later at the Wolf creek on the James River. (43) Later they

9

organized about 24 "brotherly estates" . "Bruderhofe".. in South Dakota. (44)

Settlements in the Individual States

South Dakota

From 1873 until 1884 the Russian·Germans settled in South Dakota in the counties ofHutchinson, Yankton, Bon Homme, Turner, Douglas, and Mix. By 1884 the land in thesecounties was almost all taken, and the immigration went farther north with the covered wagonor with the railroad. In the central part of the state are very few Russian·German settlements.They did settle, however, in the more northerly counties of Edmonds, McPherson, Campbell,Potter and Wallworth. (45)

The Mennonites came to South Dakota in the summer of 1873, and settled about 30miles north of Yankton in the spring of 1874. They took homesteads near Freeman, Menno,and Parker. Most of them came from Volhynia, but also from the Crimea and Molotschna.They did not spread out in South Dakota as did the non-Mennonites. (46)

Nebraska

The settlement at Sutton did not develop to a large degree. The evangelical group spreadout from there to Burlington, Colorado; St. Francis, Kansas; Culbertson, and McCook,Nebraska. The Catholics spread to Albion, Nebraska. (47)

The Volga Germans settled partly on farms near Sutton, but the majority went to work atthe railroad and in the nearby towns. Materially they were by far less well-off than the BlackSea Germans. They scattered in the towns along the Burlington railroad: Hastings, GrandIsland, York. Lincoln, though, became the main place of arrival and settlement. Here theyfound jobs and from here they spread out at the beginning of the century to the beetfields ofColorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. (48)

The oldest settlements of the Mennonites in Nebraska is Beatrice. Mennonites fromGermany also settled here. Jansen and Henderson have also settlements of this group.

Kansas

The first settlements of the Mennonites in Kansas originated north of Newton in Marionand McPherson counties in 1874. They founded the villages of Brudertal, Rosenort,Gnadenfeld, and others. Later they turned to individual farming buying most of their landfrom the Santa Fe railroad. (50)

10

The Protestant Volga Germans started for Kansas around Christmas, 1875. They settledfirst near Peabody, Marion, and Tampa in the neighborhood of the Mennonites in Marioncounty. Later they spread farther West to Rush and Russel counties; also to Bazine and Nesscounties. (51 )

The Catholic Volga Germans started their immigration to Kansas in October 1875 on theship Ohio of the North German Lloyd line. They settled also in Rush, Russel, and Elliscounties and organized a number of villages: Liebentaz, Pfeifer, Munior, Schoenchen,Catherine, and Victoria (formerly Herzog). (52) St. Francis has a Black Sea GermanSettlement. Some Black Sea Germans live near Russel. (53)

Oklahoma

When this state finally was opened for white settlement in 1891, protestant VolgaGermans from Kansas crossed the line and settled on the upper course of the Canadian river.They founded a number of settlements including Shattuck, Tangier, and Okene. (54)

The Black Sea Germans settled at Clinton and Bessie. (55)

There are also some Mennonite Settlements at Menno, Cordell, and Mountain View.

North Dakota

The Russian-German immigration to this state began in 1884, and was a continuation ofthe immigration of the Black Sea Germans to South Dakota. At that time both states were oneterritory. When there was no more land in that state to settle, the move to North Dakotabegan. The Volga Germans were absent in this imigration and they were not many Mennonites.(56) The immigrants were almost all Protestant and Catholic Black Sea Germans. If one placesthe Missouri River in the middle, one may form of the area in which the Russian-Germans havesettled in this state a pyramid, at the top of which will be Pierce County, not far from theCanadian border, and the base about 150 miles east and west of the river. The area comprizes23 counties. The Protestants live mostly east of the river; the Catholics to the north-east andwest of it. But the Protestant element predominates everywhere. After the Norwegians, theGermans and Russian-Germans form the largest national group in North Dakota. In 1910 thestate counted 60,000 persons of Russian-Germans descent. Mcintosh county, for example, hasa population of which 90% are Russian-Germans. (57) Strong Russian-German settlements arefound also in the counties of Logan" Stutsman. McLean, Emmons, and Morton. (58)

Colorado

11

The first Volga Germans arrived in Denver in 1880 with the Union Pacific railroad onwhich they were working. They originally lived in Russel, Kansas. In 1900 when a sugarfactory was built in Sugar City German workers were called in from Lincoln, Nebraska. Fromthat time on began the immigration of that group to Colorado. Settlements arose in Ft.Lupton, Greeley, Windsor, Ft. Morgan, Ft. Collins, Loveland, Longmont and Montrose. (59)

Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

In the state of Wyoming the oldest Russian-German settlement is found in Cheyenne. Thegroup was brought in by the Union Pacific railroad, The oil city of Casper has also a VolgaGerman settlement. When in the Wind River and 8ig Horn 8asin irrigation and the planting ofSugar beets was begun in 1916, Volga German farmers and workers were brought in. Worlandand Riverton also has Volga German settlements, (601 as well as Lovell and Wheatland. (61)

Montana has Volga German settlements in Billings, Hardin, Laural, Park City, andWorden. These are places with irrigation where beets, peas and beans are grown. (62)

Black Sea Germans live in the eastern part of Montana at Fallon, Watchins, Glendive, andTerry. (63)

Mennonite settlements are found on the Missouri at Wolf Point, and Hutterites atlewistown.

In Idaho we find the Volga Germans in Sugar City, St. Maries, Paul and Malbeta. Theycame here also with the beginning of the sugar industry. (64)

Washington

The Volga Germans reached this state in 1881. They came from Hastings, Nebraska, andsettled at Ritzville. Further settlements of the group are at Walla Walla, Yakima, and Tacoma.(65)

Some Catholic Volga Germans settled at Toppenish.

The Black Sea Germans came to the state in 1890 and settled at Ritzville, Ralston,Odessa, lind, and Krupp (Marlin) (66)

Mennonites settled also at Ritzville.

Oregon

12

The oldest Volga German settlement in this state is in the northern part of Portland. Inthe 30's this settlement numbered about 500 families. It goes back to 1882, when the VolgaGermans, after having worked for the Union Pacific, were either brought to or terminated theiremployment in San Francisco. From there they were brought to Portland by ship.

In 1891 a group of 81ack Sea Germans settled in Eugene, and in 1906 and 1909 in Mulinoand Newberg.

In 1892 some 81ack Sea Germans settled also in Portland together with some CatholicVolga Germans.

California

A large Volga German settlement is found in Fresno. They came to California as workerson the vegetable growing fields and in the packing houses. Other settlements of that group arefound in Reedley, Sanger, Dinuba, and Visalia. (69)

Lodi has a strong settlement of 81ack Sea Germans since 1897. The settlers originallycame from Menno, South Dakota. From Lodi they spread out to the north and settled in Galt,Scampo, and Elk Grove. (70) In Southern California there are Black Sea and Mennonitesettlements in Shafter and Bakersfield. (71)

Texas

Since 1890 some Black Sea Germans who probably came from Worms (Sutton), havesettled in Texas. We find settlements in Henrietta, which was organized by them, and inPetrolia. (72)

Utah

There is a small settlement of Black Sea Germans in Provo. The group came to that statein 1887. They are from Neudorl of the province of Cherson. Originally they had gone toPalestine in 1873 with other templars. From there they came to Utah. (73)

Industrial Cities in the East

Industrial cities of the East received a great German influx especially of Volga Germans:Muscatine, Iowa . factory workers; Saginaw, 8ay City, and Flint. Michican automobileindustry; Sheboygan, Fond du Lac, Ashkosh, Racine, and Milwaukee, Wis.. Factory workers;

13

Chicago, Jefferson Park, Dolton, Lansing, Thorndton, Riverdale· in all of these are foundVolga Germans. Groups are also found in Wauseon, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Pine Island,and Stuyvesant Falls.

Economic Developmenr. The immigration

According to the official dates of the Commissioner of Immigration since 1903 to 1927there emigrated from Russia to the United States 115,022 persons., of German descent.

The highest number came in the years:

1905 10,2791906 13,4801911 11,0311912 17,8571913 9,889

Total persons who immigrated from Russia to the United States since 1857-19051,565,487. (74)

This shows that the highest immigration took place during or about the time of theJapanese war and the years before World War I. Dates from 1857 to 1903 indicate in generalpersons from Russia, but not the nationality.

One can state that the Germans from Russia became in time quite prosperous. About halfof the Volga Germans from Russia are on farms in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado and otherstates. The other half lives in.the cities and are employed in the factories, shops railroads, etc.They were usually much poorer than the Black Sea Germans at their arrival. Big settlements ofVolga Germans employed in industries are found in Chicago, Lincoln, Denver, Portland, andFresno. They usually live in the suburbs, but not in slums. Their yards and houses are clean.Hattie Plum Williams writes in her book A Social Study of the Russian German "Neglect ~"d

decay of buildings is nowhere visible. On the other hand many of the houses of the settlementare made over from half tumbled down structures which were brought at a low price andremodeled under the skillful and painstaking hand of the owner."

The Volga Germans were very successful as beet farmers in Nebraska, Colorado, Montana,Wyoming and Idaho. First they came as laborers, then they rented the farms and finally theybought them. About one-half of the beet farms in Colorado are owned by Volga Germans.

The Black Sea Germans live on farms in Nebraska, Kansas, South and North Dakota,Montana, and Washington. Where there is wheat to plant there they feel best. To a good partthey were also poor when they came to the United States and experienced great hardships at

14

the begiMing. They contributed immensly to the building up of the farms where they settledand became more prosperous than the Volga Germans. Seldom were they satisfied with onequarter of land. Two ro three is the usual measure.

Religious Conditions

While in Russia the Germans were of the following confessions: Lutheran, Catholic,Mennonite, Baptist, and Hutterite, but in the United States, however, they split into smallerfactions. Those who are Lutheran belong to a number of Lutheran denominations such as thaAmerican Lutheran Church, Missouri Lutheran Chruch, Wisconsin Lutheran and UnitedLutheran.

The Congregational church had a GErman Congregational Branch which was dissolved atthe Union of the Congregationalists with the Evangelical and Reformed churches. These threechutches now compose the United Church of Christ. The Russian·Germans who belonged tothe Congregational, Evangelical and Reformed churches, now belong to the United Church ofChrist. The United Bretheren linked with the Methodists and so the Russian-Germans whoformerly belonged to that church are now Methodists.

One of the reasons for thyGerman emigration from Russia was the requirement to changetheir church services from their mother tongue to a foreign language. These immigrantsexperienced similar difficulties in the United States when their churches changed from Germanto English, which caused many bad feelings in the congregations.

We could count 400 congregations of different denominations not including theMennonites, Hutterites, and Catholics.

The steamship lines used by the Russian-Germans to reach the shores of the United Stateswere : The Hamburg America Line, Red Star Line, Inman Line, and The North GermanL1oyed.

The Mennonites used mainly the Hamburg America Line. It seems the service, especiallythe food, on the ships of this line was better than on the others. There were usually no smallcomplaints concerning the treatment and food on the ships of the North German Lloyd.

The genealogist will have to face the sad experience that the records of the HamburgAmerica Line were destroyed. However there are records of the senate of the Free City ofHamburg that are preserved, and could be used for genealogical purposes. It is different,though, with the records of the North German Lloyd line of Bremen. Here everything wasdestroyed by the bombings that took place during the second World War.

The National ARchives and Record Service in Washington, D.C. has shipping records of

15

immigration beginning with 1820. These records are from the customs office, and are therefori!not complete. The Immigration Office has records from 1891 on, and the port of New Yorkfrom 1897. The records on Russia begin with 1857. Unfortunately they do not indicate thedescent of the persons. Only from 1904 on is the origin or extraction indicated.

Of importance for genealogy is a good number of family chronicles which were publishedby Russian-Germans as well as church records of different denominations to whom theRussian-Germans belong but especially important is a series of so-called Jubilee bookspublished in South and North Dakota. Our bibliography will give an account of those.

16

Schmid. f.dm..... Di# deutlt:hM !Colon;'" im SChwM"..,p«iiflt Su«J Ruw.ndI p. 25.2fJ.

S.hock. Adolph Pro!. In q..... of I,. fond. p.97

BiUi"llton.. R.A. ""'f'l4tieI'd ..pension. p.703

Ibid. p.699

Schaum",. Wi.iam. Autobiography of Will.", Sc/M.,lfI.,. p.97

Bo""k.mp"r. Johan-. TogIIbucIo IOn /849. p.44

R.lIth. Grorc. Prof. D;. RuuI~ftI:Jt."in dM V.,.ini,ren Stuten lIOft NOIfJ Amttit.. lIeim.tLu...h. 1096:1. p.p.

FOOTNOTES

(t) Stumpp. Kart. Die RualllttddefJtll:hen in VtW,. H~ima.buch 1963. pp. 18.21.

(2) Abellt"', GCOfIe. F,om rM 5'.",.. to the Pra;,;ft p. 77.

(3) [i('Jdrr. Adolph Di.O_tlt:hMin KO".uPOJen p. 57.

(41 Ibid. p. 129.

(5) 8f>yer. Rimai'd. Di. OwtreMn in OIt·GMizitHr. . ONtlChe Pon.cu dlllTl Oat.". J940. N. 2. pp. .s. 7.

(6) Siewert. Handd. Unuiedlung dB VQllc6deuucher .UI, G.,;zi.n und KobIhyMin. ONtrehe Po,t .u, t1wrt OIl.". ~. 12.1939. Pll!"J I·~.

(7) KaindI.Il.F. Dr. O. _IX"'" in fUr lIukowino pp. 2. 6. 10.

(8) Kink. f. Di. WoIh."niMld~trt:hen.Jh'''''k uttd ih, Schick"', Ht'im.dbuch 1959. p. ~2.

(9) Alth.auliI"n. f.rnat. Pulor. Die DeutlChen in WoIh)'niett. p. 2.

(10) Althau~n. ErMa. Pastor. 0/# Deutxh." in WoIhynifln. p. ·t

( , I) B........ j..~. The P.......n . Polish 1.'tI,(Nlit. _trio;,., in South Ookoto p. U. 83.

(121 S'umpp. K. Or. OiodoulXhoA_.ungruch RlJ#Iond 1763·1862. PIll' VI

(13) Bon....toch. G.rlwdl Ot. G_hicJtto d. douIXhM KoioniM on d., WoIlI'" pp. 30·31.

(U) Stumpp. K.rt Dr. Tho G.mon R"....n. p. 12.

(15) Bonw...ch. G. Ibid. p. 23.

(161 Martit•• Andleu.Ausd.""u"nddo"lXhM Frmc/I"ng. Oouru:hoPonousdom 0._ 19411. p. 14.

(J 7) Stumpp. K...I Dr. 010 Ru_ouIX_. p. 13.

(18) Smith. C.H. $I"", of tho _noni.... p. 387

(19) ljrcbchmidt..q .F. OMIt/oito G_hichtll/)uch d., h"ttelischM II,....... pp. ~35-436.

(201 Stumpp. K..... The G""""ft R""n•. p. II.

(2n p. 15

(22) Ibid. p. 14.

(23) Stumpp.J. Oio R,,_outlChM. p.pp. 24.26

(24) Ibid. p. 25

(251 Ibid. p.26

(26) The- c'Jlholics WtTl!: under II Genniln· Ku.'lKian 8itohop who ".!lidrd Ii SU'I'OY.

(27) Stumpp. Kart. O. "_ndd_schM. p. :!8

(28) Ibid. O. _,'''' _goOie.. ulld be<vflicJto AufgliedlNU,., fUr O'UIXhM in d., Sow;'<union. lI.imotbuch 19~9.p.3-15

(29)

(30)

(31)

(32)

(33)

(34)

(35126.33.

17

(36) Rath. GeDrJ. Die Ru••nddwtxhen in'" V~nigten $flMten ..vn Nofd A".,ik.. Hif.imalhu~.1963. p. 35.

(31) Ibid p. 34.

(38) Smith. C.H. rM coming of ,he Rumen Monnoni.... p. 70.11

(39) Zi.padlmidt A.J. 0.. klein< Geochicht>buch d. hurrorilchon B,uod.

I iO) lI.iran. G,..... p. 604 Exi/«I by 'he Ca,. pp.92·96 & C••ddert. C.II.

1411 Smjlh. C.H. rM cominr of rhe Ruuian Mannoni'•. p. 107

(42) Zi<1daehmid•• AJ.f. A.. kleina GOIChicht>budt d. Hutt.iochen B,_. p. 459

(43) Ibid.

(44) \l.nd.J. J.J. Hi.""" of rhe _",e of E." F_man. Sil.... L"e _ _ , F,_n end H"""" ofF--..1I958·'9511 p.2S

(45) SaD,.I. Richud. RUG/.ndd~tlt:h.Sitldlungwt in dt1n Ve"inigten $fIM"n. pp. 17.18.1 Z. J3.

(46) Smj.h. C. H. Tha coming of rhe Rwsion AIIennonite. p. 158·159.

(41) Sall••• II. Ibid. P. 32·33.

(48) WiUiarna. naltie Plwn. A .cMl study 01 the Ruailln·Q.,,,,.,,.

(49) Smith. C. H. Ibid. pp. 112.113.

(SO) Smith, C. H. TM CDmingof the RUaMn Mennonit... p. J45.

(51) Sallrl. lIidl.,d. Ibid. pp. 34-35.

(52) rM Golden ./ubi,. of 'fie GantIMI·R_ion _ttl_II of Elli••nd RUlli count/... K._ pp. 13-14 .... IheloIIowi,..

($3) s.nel. II. Ibid. p.18

(,5.4)(55}.Sa1l••. II. Ibid. 1836.

(56) lIobinaon. Hi_y of Nor'h Ooko,. p. 160.

(51) SolIeI.II. R..... _todIe SiMllun,.. in d.. VetWini,..,. S1N_. p. 16.

(58) Ibid p. IS.

(59) Ibid Ibid. pp. 39 If.

(60) ibid p. 43

(61) Ibid p. 43

(62) Ibid p. 42

(63) Ibid. p.43

(64) Ibid p. 43

(65) Ibid P. 31

(66) Ibidp.19.

(61) S.UI'I. Richard. RuaMttddeutM:he Sitldlungen in den Vr.reintctrn Stulron. p. 311.

(68) Ibid. P. 20

(69) Ibid. p. 38

1101 Ibid. p. 20

(71) Ibid. p. 20

(72) 'bi!! p. 18 .... 19.

(73) Ibid. p.21.

(74) ftalh. G. Oi. RwllMtddeuachM in" V.,.,nigr.n Stu'M ~n Nord AtMTik•. Hrimalbur'h. 1963. p. "2.

(15) Will....... H.llie Plum. A .oeM!.tudy of 'he Ruuian·G.,man p. 147.

18

.Ekalerinburg

Orenburg~.

t1alll!jshin

Astrakhan

Tsarils!JnChern!! Yar

•Pema

Nillmi Nou(jorod1:. • tiazan

tiunn!jsh•Arzamas .Alalyr

SimbirskSamara

~~.,

(;,\ g (\

~. ~ 5aralouBoriso(jlebsli

~

V 0

.Talllbou

.~ Worollezh

0­Moscow""

:>

'60'1 (J/ s

AzouTa(jallfOn·

(

tialu(ja

Orel

t1ursh.

•Pollaua

'f: t10dali

•MOllil!'l)

5111011'IIsl;;// ..

Rlglon01 Volga

GlrmanSlmlmlnl.

11764·611

PenZi

Sia 01 Azov

rl"'\.U'Y"

lAJALTERSllK

~t3'N 3 '1

_BlackSeaRomania

Finland

~-L:.r ell' Prulil.

Baltic 80a-

Hungary

WI.IPru....

Blurll

• Munich

Austria

Norway

'.I ,I ' ,, ,• •of ' hirtngon, . ", " ~

" fiI-..,.~."",

Switzerland

--

Migratior ~te of the Volga Germans (1763-68)

• Towns with large resident Germancommunities. principally traders

300!

,

Miles

o

PERSIA

German workers emigrating to Russia in orderto work in the new industrial centres ofRussian Poland from 1880

:'J Home of half a million Germans by 1914.L.. Established 1918as the Vol9a-German

Republic, a Soviet showpiece to encourageGerman communism. Many German "kulaks"deported to Kazakhstan 1927-1933duringthe collective period. All the Germans of theRepublic were deported to Siberia in 1941

@) German collective farms shownto weSternvisitors in the 1930's as examples of effectiveteutonic communism

- The western boundary of Russia in 1914

~ Bailie Germans. descendants olthe TeutonicKnights and Hanseatic traders of the late12thand early 13th centuries; incorporated intoRussia 1721; played a leading part in theImperial Russian civil and military services

~ German agricultural colonies established inRussia from 1762

l1li

.!.ugansk

TURKEY

Russia obtained her first large German colony when Peter theGreat annexed the Baltic lands in 1721. In 1762 Catherine theGreat invited further German colonists to settle in Russiato stimulate agricultural development, offering them land.religious freedom and sel~overnment. In the 1880's theindustrial growth of Russian Poland led to a large influx ofGerman industrial workers. German seltlers·continued tobuy land in Southern Russia and on the Volga until 1914.There were over 1,771,000 Germans in Russia in 1897;1,600.000 in 1959. The Volga Germans. deported by Stalinto Siberia, have disappeared

AUSTRIA­HUNGARY

THE GERMANS OF RUSSIA1710-1959

PERM

D POPULATIONTHE PROVINCE~ ~~SSIA IN 1900OF EUROPEA

74

THG VOI.GfI Gck'/I1AN5

FRED C. kocH

\

Area Settled ByVOLGA-GERMANCOLONISTSAnd Their AbolishedAutonomous S.S.A.

•

o, ,

.~Ul\M"1II.

eltll.:iua....b

, ,•

\---.II, 11 l<fII

,._-,---­o

o

\\I.,-, "~'.t•• COlonial 'CoIIM,.

• YOl&a~TWa" Co 10,,1••

"tIIts,a" Citle1'ta11road.•.-t-;: iUtlOq I_~d. I.--ll_r.

I

I\

. ,'-I

(&nrac.t.)

OLD-S.-VlAAA - .': :~.....;.t.>:.:'£:';,"'lolga-Gerllllln ~ ... \;:.~::.'"

Co loDiea ---::~.",:.-.:: ;~.: ~~.,_a ....._(r'W/M/ .~:;':'~:~: ~" •••~ ;.~":.::~~

\

t~i:;i~,:::':i;:f:':~;'~l. •• '''<7'''1''~J' ",,,,,,'''J''o 'Ofla"WI • ""'IJIII"'"

German Russia Volga Area

PIONEERS 00 'M) roNTINF:NTS: GERMANS TO RUSSIA AND AMERICA

Gwen Pritzkau

Born In Utah. Resides in R1verton, Utah.libraries. Author, lecturer, teacher.

HISTORY AND CAUSES OF D§ITGRATION

For several centuries it had been thecustom of Russian rulers to inviteforeigners to settle in their realm.

Their invitations brought skilledworkers, politicians, artisans, crafts­men, and farmers. As early as Ivan theTerrible (1533-1584) there had been aGerman section in the city of M::>scow.The first Romanov Tsars, Michael andAlexis, wished for Russia to becomeEuropeanized, but it was Peter The Great,son of Alexis, We made the first deter­mined effort alo~ these lines.

After Peter became Tsar, he toured Ger­many, Bolland and England. Be was soimpressed with what he saw in westernEurope that he brought back with him acollection of skilled workers and crafts-·men in hopes of teachi~ the techniquesof the West to the Russians. This taskhe undertook with great enthusiasm andenergy. The Russian people were IlOt tooreceptive. Be pleaded, threatened andpunished. His efforts produced a smallbeginni~ and that was all.

The great Tsar realized that he mustdevelop c<Xllllercial and cultural ties withthe West if his plans to modernize Russiswere to succeed. Be needed a seaport onthe Bal tic Sea. In order to obtain onehe e~aged in a war with Sweden (1700­1721) to conquer the area around themouth of the Neva River. It was nearhere that he built the new capital of St.Petersburg. In his new Baltic provinceshe found the necessary resources to helpmodernize Russis. The Germans had beenin this region since the twelfth century.

Acquisitions processor, Salt Lake County

Coming to a backward country, [theseGerman missionaries] and merchants soonset themselves up as rulers. Althoughthe Germans were few in nunbers, they sawto it that the region alo~ the BalticCoast from Danzig to the Gulf of Finlandwas predOllinantly Germanic in law andcustom. The small German population wasmuch involved in trade, industry andgovernment.

Peter the Great found his new subjectsentirely to his taste. In these men hefound the help needed to EuropeanizeRussia. As lo~ as Russis was ruled byTsars the Baltic Germans played a largepsrt in Russian affairs of state.

Peter the Great slso introduced thepolicy of intermarriage of the RoyalHouse of Russia with its German counter­psrts. This practice was continued forseveral generations, which made the RoyalFamily almost completely German in blood.However, for the most part, they weredevoted to the interests of Russia.

After Peter's death, little was done topromote Western manners and customs. Thenext ruler to make any great effort tochange Russis was Catherine II (1762­1796). Catherine was born at Stettin onMay first, 1729, and began life as Prin­cess Sophia Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbts, aminor German principality. She had thegood fortune to be recommended byFriederich the Great as suitable consortto the Grand Duke Peter of Bolstein,grandson of Peter the Great. Be had beenbrought to Russia in 1742 as a prospec­tive heir to the Empress Elizabeth.

Catherlne arrived in Leningrad in

369/Pritzkau

February 1744 and was married in August1745 to the Grand fuke. The Princess waslively and intelligent. She 900n learnedthe language, history, custcms and prob­lema of her newly adopted country andsoon became devoted to Russia'sinterests.

In contrast to the keeIHllinded Catherine,Peter was a dullard given to heavy drink­ing, interested only in playing soldier[and wOlllen less gifted than his wife.)When Empress Elizabeth died in 1762, theGrand fuke Peter then became EmperiorPeter III. Before long he had alienatedthe people that mattered. lie had of­fended the military, the government, andthe Church. As Peter's popularity de­minished, Catherine's grew. lIer tact andpersonality won her numerous loyalfriends, whose mmbers were augmented assoon as Peter's accession pennitted himto threatend his wife with divorce and toapply such ill-judged reforms as hiscapricious fancy dictated.

On June 28, 1762, a snall revolution tookplace which ended in Peter leaving andbeing sent to an estate at Ropsha, wherehe died in a drunken brawl with officers\ltD were supposed to be guarding him.

These events placed Catherine 011 a t.ltronewhich she did not have any legal rightto, but she did have the approval andsupport of the Russian aristocracy.

Early in her rule she made liberalchanges. She built schools, hospitals,extended religious tolerance, and broughtabout agricultural reforms. The largestcontribution she made to agriculture wasthe founding of the German colonies nearthe Volga River and elsewhere in herrealm. She had hoped that such settle­ments would bring industry, new ideas anda higher standard of living.

These Germans were to serve as models forthe Russian peasant fanner. In December1762, she issued the first invitation toher German countr)llllen. nus first proc­lamation brought little results. Shesent her agents into the section of Ger-

2

many that was busy fighting in the SevenYears' War. Her imitation held nocial inducements. Six months later,1763, Catherine issued a new manifesto, amasterpiece of immigration propaganda,which became the foundation for Russia'scolonization policy for the next hundredyears.

Catherine published her invitation in thepapers in Germany. She followed hernotice by sending German-speaking agentsinto areas where they found toousands ofdiscontented people willing to listen toher message. I shall list briefly thehighlights of that famous docunent.

1. Large tracts of free land, plenty ofwater, free timber.

2. Good opportunity to practice a tradeor establish industries.

3. Interest-free loans up to ten yee,s.4. Freedom from customs duties on goods

brought into the country.5. Free transportation to Russia.6. The right to settle anywhere in .,-~

country.7. Freedom from taxes for five to

thirty years, depending on area.8. !b excise fees on new industries for

ten years.9. Exemption from military service for

themselves and their descendants.10. IDcal self-government in colonies.11. Full religious and academic freedom.12. Free to leave again if they found

Russia unsuitable.

In addition to the above-named benefits,the Russian govemnent also agreed tosome help with transportation andoousing.

These Germans junped at the chance for abetter life for themselves and theirchildren.

At that time Europe had engaged in manywars. The young men had to spend part oftheir lives fighting in some army. ~­

cost of these wars kept the common maLthe brink of starvation. fue to the hightaxes imposed, the peasant lived in direpoverty.

369!Prit 2:kau

At one time in history Germany enjoyedreligious unity, but with the Reformationcame religious conflicts which broughtabout small wars between independentstates. If the ruling Prince or Duke wasCatholic and another was Lutheran, thiswas reason enough for a war. The Germanpeasant of 1763 did not have much to behappy about. He groaned under heavytaxes, his young sons were dragged off tofight in wars in which he had rD inter­est, he was persecuted for his religiousbeliefs. Foreign as ",,11 as German ar­mies had just devastated his fields, hiscattle, and his home. Industry and tradehad been disrupted. Poverty, lUlemploy­ment, and malnutrition ""re widespread.

Catherine's message brought hope to thosewho ddred not hope, and faith to thosewho dared not believe.

In order to survive they knew they wouldhave to leave their homes, families andfriends.

TIlE FIRST IMMIGRATION INl'O RIJSSIA

With a promise of a better life, thefirst German colonists prepared to leavetheir beloved fatherland. Before theycould leave, all debts had to paid,arrangements had to be made for olderfamily members staying behind, and deci­sions had to be made about what posses­sions to take and lotlat to dispose of.Real estate, cattle, and furniture had tobe sold. Food and clothing for the longjourney had to be made ready. It was atime of much activity. There was an ex­citement in the air, but a sadness in theheart.

Catherine had appointed a Johann Simolinto act as special ccmnissioner to headthe emigration organi2:ation. Hisdeputies were Friederich Meixner, whoseheadquarters were at Ulm, and JohannFacius, with headquarters at Frankfurt­on-Main. About four hundred familieswent to Russia in 1764. The emigrationmovement brought strong reac tion from theGerman governments, resulting in laws

3

threatening severe punishment, confis­cation of goods, and prohibiting the saleof property.

These actions did rDthing to stem theflow of emigration. n.e people stillleft in large groups.

In 1768 Emperor Joseph II forbade allfurther emigration to Russia from any­where in Germany. Therefore, for manyyears there was only a trickle of Germanemigrants to Russia, mostly those havingfamily there since the first group leftin 1763 and 1764.

By 1767 more than seven thousand families(twenty-six thousand people) had gone toRussia. For the most part these imni­grants had cane from Hesse, but otherparts of Germany were represented aswell.

As soon as the necessary emigrationarrangements were completed, the w:>uld-beemigrants met in· the appointed cites.There the Russian travel agents locatedtemporary liVing quarters and issued asnail food allowance daily, which wasbased 00 the size of the family.

InaSlllUCh as land was to be given only toheads of families, many marriages tookplace prior to leaving Germany and oftenbetween partners who came together asstrangers. !be marriage registers fromBudingen, Rosslau and Lubeck are veryhelpful to the researcher.

When sufficient numbers had gathered,they were transported to a Baltic sea­port, usually Lubeck, where they boardeda ship that took them to Kronstadt, nearSt. Petersburg. From Kronstad t they weretaken overland in crude, slow-movingwagons, or 00 foot, to OranienballD. Herethey were given crude materials to buildmakeshift huts which were to be theirliving quarters while waiting instruc­tions for the next move.

It was here in this volatile settlementthat many became disillusioned. In spiteof the pranise that they could settle

369/Pritzkau

anywhere they liked, they were told thatthey would be transported to the distantand desolate area of the Volga region andthat they would all become farmers.

They waited weeks, sometimes months, be­fore word came approving the final move.The emigrant groups took differentroutes. but the following is typical.

Small ships, always overcrowed took theimmigrants to St. Petersburg, up theRiver Neva to Schusselburg, along LakeLadoga to the Volkov River, up the VolkofRiver to Novgorod.

Here began an overland trek to Torshak onthe Volga. The wanen and children wereforced into wagons piled high withbaggage.

The men and older boys had to walk. Manyof the immigrant groups reached thisstage of the journey in the late fallwhen the weather was cold. Many fellsick and were left behind in some obscureRussian village, while many died en routeand were buried along the way. Somegroups had to spend the winter in theRussian village of Torshak where theywere quartered with the native peasantsin their emall, lIIIelly, and overcrowedhuts. Fran Torshak, ships took them toSaratov, which was the nearest town tothe proposed settlement sites.

Here, near Saratov, the Russian govern­ment had marked-off both sides of theVolga River for settlement. The firstgroup of colonists arrived there on June29, 1764. They founded the colony ofIlobrinks, which was located on the westbank (Bergseite) of the Volga River.From 1764 to 1767, shipload after ship­load of colonists arrived at Saratov andwere led to the barren Volga regions.

A total of 104 villages were founded inthis fashion. One hundred and three wereGerman, and one was French. Of these, 44were on the west side (Bergseite) and 60on the east side (Weisenseite). with apopulation of 6,433 fa:ailies or 23,109people.

4

A few of the German imnigrant groups cl U

not go to the Volga River area. but ..directed to settle elsewhere. A group of110 families settled near St. Petersburgin 1765. In the same year, a small groupof 34 families from Wurttemberg was sentto a Count's estate in the Voronezhregion where they set tIed the isola t edvillage of Riebensdorf, in the politicaldistrict of Woronesch. They wereLutherans from the German village ofSulzfeld near Ileilbronn. Within a nunberof years, their population increase madeit necessary to establish severaldaughter-colonies. some extending as farsouth as the sea of Azov.

In 1766, another 80 families were sent toHirschenhof and Helfrelehshof. The sameyears, 147 families went to the Chernigovregion where they started the sixvillages of the Belowesch settlement. In1767, another 67 families founded threecolonies near Jamburg. These groups wereexceptions. The main flow of imnigranr"went to the Volga River area.

Although the Russian government hadpromised housing for the newcomers. theyfound neither houses nor lumber withwhich to build. Instead, they were shownhow to build the Russian-type mud huts.In some cases. the Germans had to live inthese hovels for two and three years .be­fore they obtained the materials to builda proper house for their families.Housing and building materials were notthe only thing found in short supply.Cows, horses, pigs, chickens, and farmimplements were very scarce. The famimplements and building tools were rootonly hard to come by, but they were farinferior to those they had left behiru:l inGermany. Seeds for crops and gardensarrived too late to plant. Many of thesefirst colonists did not have enough warmclothing for the coming winter. Due tothe lack of trees, there was not enoughfuel to keep the tuts heated. Because nf

these problems, many people died tfirst winter. In the spring, floods cameand washed away the mud huts, and theyhad to start allover again.

369/pritzkau

It was rot ootH 1775 that the colonistshad a good harvest with enough yield tofeed themselves and their livestock.This was due to several reasons. Many ofthe colonists had never farmed before.Even those who had been farmers had tolearn new cultivation methods. They wereoofamHiar with weather and seasonal con­ditions. They were ignorant of the typesof soil and which crops to plant where.

Many of the people were mistreated bygreedy village "directors" who wereinterested only in their own wealth.Many wished to return to Germany, butthere was ro going back.

Gradually, the immigrants adjusted totheir new surroundings and slowly housesbegan to replace mud huts. Within a fewyears schools and churches were built.Trees were planted along the streets andgood wells were found in every village.

Along with the other hardships were thewolves and bands of robbers that roamedalong the lower Volga area. Theserobbers were attracted to the Germancolonists because they represented a highform of living than had been known in thearea. They not only stole goods andcattle, but kidnapped people either to beused as slaves and servants or to besold.

For many years it was rot safe for thecolonist or his family to be alone on theroads or in the fields. They formed ingroups to protect themselves and theirlivestock.

Within a few years there developed acOlIlDunity pride and the Germans began toprosper. They ro longer yearned fortheir native heme1and. To the youngergeneration, this land of the Tzar washeme.

The Russian government was highly pleasedwith the fine colonies, wheat fields, newindustries, and all of the other accom­plishnents of the German newcemers. Theplundering tribes, who for so many yearshad robbed, kidnapped, burned, killed and

5

caused general destruction to dle Germansas well as to the native Russian peasant,had row been driven away.

Catherine II began to look elsewhere fornew lands to conquer.

In 1768-1774 and 1787-1792, Russia andthe Turks fought for the rich, fertilelands surrounding the Black Sea. TheRussians were the victors, which extendedthe empire to the Black Sea. The CrimeaPeninsula was incorporated into Russia in1783.

In 1786 Catherine sent agent Georg vonTrappe into the Danzig region of WestPrussia to recruit new settlers. - TheMennonites of West Prussia were havingproblems with the government and theLutheran Church. It was a well-knownfact that the Mennonites were clean,honest, hard working, industrious, pro­ductive, and model farmers. This groupwould make a good contribution towardsbuilding up the vast, uninhabited steppesof the Ukrain. It took scme time for theMennonites to prepare for the move toRussis. In the meantime, von Trappe leda group of Lutherans froo Danzig (fiftyfamilies) to Russia, where they foundedthe German colony of Al t-Danzig, nearElizabethgrad. Sane fourteen families ofthis group were direc ted to stay in thenearby colony of Alt-Schwendorf, whichwas settled in 1781 by Swedes froo theisland of Dago under the leadership ofIvan lfaximovich Sinelnikov, an officialassigned to them by the Russian govern­ment. But these Germans were rot happythere, so they left and went to AItDanzig to be with their countr)'lllen.

In 1788, 228 Mennonites families leftWest Prussia and started several coloniesin the Chortitza region of the Ukrain.

Catherine II died in 1796, but before herpassing she saw many of her dreams bearfruit.

Paul I, son of Catherine, was ruler froo1796-1801. During this time colonizationcame to a standstill. Froo 1801 to 1825

369/Pritzkau

Russia was ruled by Alexander I, son ofPauL He carried out his grandmother' apolicy of imnigration, and once again thecall went out to GeIlll8Ily for coloniats tosettle in the Ukrain. Because the firstimnigration of GeIlll8IlS under Catherine IIhad been so successful and had beensatisfactory to both the Reich and toRussia, the second invitation was mostwelcane.

This time the invitation was directedmainly to the thickly populated areas ofsouthern Germany. The Ukase of the Tsarhad the same basic conditions as that ofCatherine. German-speaking travel agentswere sent to Ge IIIl8Ily to 0 pen 0 f fices forthe IUrpose of enlisting and interviewingprospective settlers.

Again, as in Catherine's time, the areaof southern GeIlll8Ily was war torn, over­taxed and oppressed. Napoleon was takingtheir young men for his armies. Civildisorders and religious conflicts wereccmnon. The conditions made it easy toenlist people to colonize faraway Russia.

The Tsar had set aside entire districtsof crown land between the Bug, Westerand Pruth Rivers for settlement. Inaddition to the crown lands, largeestates were bought fran private land­owners. Within three years the Russiangoverrment had hoped to be ready to startreceiving the first German imnigranta forthe Black Sea region; however, someGerman colonists began arriving beforeplans were canplete and things were notready for them.

Two Germans, acting as Russian agents,Ziegler and Schurter, had done such agood job of recruiting that some twohundred families had arrived in 1803. Inhopes of slowing down the flow of imni­grants, certain restrictions were placedon imnigration:

1. Only experienced farmers or tradesmenwere to be accepted.

2. They must own property 1oiOrth at leastthree hundred norins.

3. Only families could come.

6

4. N:l more than t1oiO hundred f amili--­year would be accepted.

5. They wanted only people of a higherclass.

The quota was ignored, and for many yearsthe nunber was much larger.

Most of the imnigrants came from Wurttem­berg, Baden, Palatinate, Alsass, Hesseand Bavaria. They also came from Polandand Hungary, where the Germans hadsettled many years earlier in anothermigration. West Prussia and Prussia werealso represented.

The imnigrants fran Poland and Prussiacame on foot or in wagons. They traveledoverland', bringing their few possessionswith them. Many times you \o1Ould see anolder member of the family being pushedin a wheelbarrow, the journey takingseveral months to complete. Oftent imesthey had to bury a loved one along theway in an UlUllarked grave.

The families fran southern Germany camein one of two ways: ov<orland on foot,wagon, or horseback; or down the DanubeRiver on boats, finishing the journey onfoot by going overland to the appointedRussian town where they were to meet withRussian agents. Once there, they wereplaced in quarantine. Sometimes thislasted for weeks or even months. Thebarracks in which they were housed wereovercrowded, dirty, and poorly venti­lated. Because of these conditions, manypeople died. In some cases, entirefamilies were wiped out. Hardly anyonefamily was not affected.

The hardships and privations these peoplesuffered cannot be described.

Nothing seemed to stem the flow of imni­grants, being spurred on by the hopes ofa better future for themselves and theirchildren.

Four hundred families arrived in 1803.More than eight hundred families arrivedin 1804, and another t1oiO hundred andfifty in 1805. Only sixty fanilies came

369/Pritzkau

in 1806 and 1807. But in 1808-1810 therewas a surge of two t oousand families •After 1810 there was a lull in 1mni­gration due to a war with Turkey. In1812 the war ended and Russia had ac­quired the province of Bessarabia, andagain the the call went out for 1mni­grants to colonize newly acquired lands.The manifesto was widely ~blicized inPoland, where recently settled GermansW2re known to be discontented. By theend of 1816, some fifteen hundredfamilies had arrived. Many of thesepeople had to live with native peasantsbefore being settled on their own land.The governnent and the agents could notkeep up with the fast flow of 1mnigrantsthat were arriving daily.

In the years 1816-1818, another massmigration took place--again from southernGermany, and again religious and economicfactors played a role.

In 1816, the area of southern Germany hada complete crop failure, which in turnbrought about severe economic depression.

Certain religious "prophets" were fore­telling the Second Coming of Christ.Many of these people toought they shouldbe there to witness the event, so, inSeptember 1816, a group of forty familiesleft WUrttemberg for the "Holy Land."They did not arrive in Russia untilDecember. Their provisions were gone,and so they stayed for the winter in theSchwabian colony of Grossliebenthal. Inorder to continue on through Russia, theyhad to get permission from the Russiangovenment, which did not arrive untilJuly 1817. Only thirty-one familiesleft, traveling along the northern coastof the Black Sea on their way to Jeru­salem. They traveled over the Caucasmountains, arriving at THlis. It washere that the Russian authorities forcedthem to atop and settle down. With thehelp of the Russian government, the Ger­man village of Marienfeld was founded onEaster Day, 1818. When the religiousseparatists in Ibrttemberg heard of thesuccess of their fellow countr)'lllen, theyalso began to make plans to migrate.

7

The meeting place was the city of Ulm,from which nearly eight thousand peopleleft during the sWIller of 1817. Thejourney down the Danube was long andhard. They traveled in constant fear fortheir lives and property, as robbers W<!renunerous. The boata were small and over­crowed. Disease and fever claimed manylives, and many were buried along theway. By the time they reached Hungary,many had lost heart and stayed with theGerman colonists there. When theyreached Iamael, an epidemic of feverstruck, and within a .twenty-four dayperiod, some twelve ,hundred peopJ.e haddied, many children losing their parents,parents losing all of their children. Bythe time the group left Ismsel, only fivethousand people survived to move on.Some of these people set tIed in theOdessa area. Ninety-eight familiessettled the village of Teplitz, Bess­arabia. Sixty-four families went northof Odessa and founded the· village ofHoffnungstal. Four new colonies werestarted in the Odessa area, giving homesto one hundred families. Many occupiedvacant places in the Leibental andGluckstal settlements. The five hundredremaining families went on t~ theCaucasus. Many wished to go on to Jeru­salem, but the Russian govermnent refusedto give them permission. Here theyfounded several more German colonies.

By 1848 there were more than two hundredcolonies in the Black sea area nunberingneady sixty toousand souls.

The period of mass migrations was over.A few smaller groups and individualfamilies continued for several years.

The Germans living in the Volhynia cameas the result of their desire, wanderingeastward from the Vistula Valley,Brandenburg, Pommern, Sileda, and Wes tPrussia. Others came as resul t ofinvitations by Polish estate owners whowanted German farmers on their landsbecause of their reputa tion of beinghonest, hard-working, good farmers. Theywere not governed by the same rules andregulations as were the Germans that came

JO~/rc..L.I.."K.d.U

as a result of government-sponsored pro­grams.

After the defeat of Napoleon, it is pos­sible that all of his German soldiers didnot return to Germany but remained inRussia, finding their way to the Germancolonies ..mere many of them had friendsand family.

LIFE IN 'mE Gl'JlHAN COLONY

After many years of hardship and sacri­fice, things started to look better forthe German colonist and his family. Thetemporary shelter of IDIJd huts or ~les

dug in the ground gave way to the perma­nent shelter of a ~U8e in a wellplanned-dorf. - It must have been a time ofgreat excitement. Everyone helped tobuild his own ~use as well as help theneighbor. All of the ~uses looked Im1Chthe same. They were constructed fromlihatever building material was native tothe area. Wood, sod, ramned earth, stoneor clay brick were the most common. Inthe Volga, wood was used for the roof,whereas thatched reeds were sometimesused in the Black Sea region. Each ~use

had a large yard, a kitchen garden, andout-buildings.

The church was located in the center oftown, as was the water well. Sane colo­nists had their barn and ~U8e under thesame roof. When building a church, noamo.mt of money or labor was spared. Itwas very important to the colonists tohave the most beautiful church in thedistrict. Usually a colony was eitherProtestant or catholic, but not both inthe same dorf.

The village also had pig pens , ~rse

barns, granaries, milking sheds, sheepbarns, and village pasture lands.

The houses faced a wide street lined withshade trees. Each colony had betweenfifty and one hundred houses, and theywere all laid out in similar fashion.Near the edge of town was an orchard,vineyards, beehives, a grinding mill, a

cemetery and other things necessary tothe well being of a coomunity. Thevillage-owned farmland sometime.stretched for great distances. The landwas farmed as a community and the profitsshared accord ing to their needs.

Within a few years the population of amother colony in the Black Sea regioncould grow to three thousand with threeto five hundred in the daughter colonies.In the Volga some of the mother colonieshad a population of twelve thousand. In1763 the population in the Volga wastwenty-seven thousand. In 1914 it wassix hundred t~usand. (This was afterthe mass migration to North and South;!meriea.) Similar growth was experiencedin the Black Sea colonies.

When a colony outgrew its land, more landwas purchased from the crown, or some­times from private landowners for adaughter colony, ..mich was populated bypeople from the mother colony. In duetime there were over five hundred Germandorfs and chutors.

The German colonies in both the Volga andthe Black Sea were, for the most part.dependent only upon themselv~s. Theearly iDmigrants were not all farmers.Although many had to learn the farm in­dustry, they had not forgotten the tradesand crafts brought with them from Ger­many. Every dorf had a shoemaker, har­ness and saddle maker, baker, blacksmith,cabinet and furniture maker, brick andtile masons, weavers, millers, teachers,tanners, candlemakers, merchants, andprofessional people. Every person playedan important part in the growth of thecommunity during the time of settlementas well as a hundred years later. Then,as now, German craftsmanship was in greatdemand. Their reputation grew, and soontheir work and wares were in demand bythe colonists and the Russians alike.

Sc~ols were church-built and maintained,with the preachers or the la)tllen servin.!.as teachers, each village having theirown. Children from seven through four­teen attended. At one time there were

..JO~/rX:.l.L;':;'Jf.d.U

as a result of government-sponsored pro­grams.

After the defeat of Napoleon, it is pos­sible that all of his German soldiers didnot return to Germany but remained inRussia, finding their way to the Gennancolonies where many of them had friendsand family.

LIFE IN 11lE Gl'JlHAN COLONY

After many years of hardship and sacri­fice, things started to look better forthe German colonist and his family. Thetemporary shelter of IDUd huts or mlesdug in the ground gave way to the perma­nent shelter of a muse in a wellplanned"dorf." It must have been a time ofgreat excitement. Everyone helped tobuild his own muse as well as help theneighbor. All of the muses looked muchthe same. They were constructed fromwhatever building material was native tothe area. Wood, sod, ramned earth, stoneor clay brick were the IIlOst common. Inthe Volga, wood was used for the roof,whereas thatched reeds were sometimesused in the Black Sea region. Each musehad a large yard, a kitchen garden, andout-buildings.

The church was located in the center oftown, as was the water well. Sane colo­nists had their barn and muse under thesame roof. When building a church, noamount of money or labor was spared. Itwas very important to the colonists tohave the IIlOst beautiful church in thedistrict. Usually a colony was eitherProtestant or Catholic, but not both inthe same dorf.

The village also had pig pens, mrsebarns, granaries, milking sheds, sheepbarns, and village pasture lands.

The houses faced a wide street lined withshade trees. Each colony had betweenfifty and one hundred houses, and theywere all laid out in similar fashion.Near the edge of town was an orchard,vineyards, beehives, a grinding mill, a

cemetery and other things necessary tothe well being of a coomunity. Thevillage-owned farmland sometime. Istretched for great distances. The landwas farmed as a community and the profitsshared according to their needs.

Within a few years the population of amother colony in the Black Sea regioncould grow to three thousand with threeto five hundred in the daughter colonies.In the Volga some of the mother colonieshad a population of twelve thousand. In1763 the population in the Volga wastwenty-seven thousand. In 1914 it wassix hundred tmusand. (This was afterthe mass migration to North and South;\meriea.) Similar growth was experiencedin the Black Sea colonies.

When a colony outgrew its land, more landwas purchased from the crown, or some­times from private landowners for adaughter colony. which was populated bypeople from the mother colony. In duetime there were over five hundred Germandorfs and chutors.

The German colonies in both the Volga andthe Black Sea were, for the most part.dependent only upon themselv~s. Theearly inmigrants were not all fanners.Although many had to learn the farm in­dustry, they had not forgotten the tradesand crafts brought with them from Ger­many. Every dorf had a shoemaker, har­ness and saddle maker, baker, blacksmith,cabinet and furniture maker, brick andtile masons, weavers, millers, teachers,tanners, candlemakers, merchants, andprofessional people. Every person playedan important part in the growth of thecommunity during the time of settlementas well as a hundred years later. Then,as now, German craftsmanship was in greatdemand. Their reputation grew, and soontheir work and wares were in demand bythe colonists and the Russians alike.

Schools were church-built and maintained,with the preachers or the la)tllen servilli I

as teachera , each village having theirown. Children frem seven through four­teen attended. At one time there were

369/Pritzkau

three thousand German schools in Russia,and also many institutions of higherlearning. Compared to the local Russian,the German stood on a higher educationaland cultural level. By the age of six­teen, the German child was better edu­cated than his Russian counterpart.

The church was the center of their lives.Whether the village be Catholic orEvangelical, the clergy played a largepart in their social and culturalaffairs. Because the colonists lived inclosed colonies, they had retained IIIJchof the background they had brought withthem fran Germany.

Each village had their own customs re­garding weddings, death, baptism andcertain other holidays, these customsbeing peculiar to the district in Germanywhere they had lived prior to going toRussia.

In the absence of medical service, theearly-day colonist relied on "folkmedicine. " The use of herbs, chants,charms, and magic was quite coomon. Theyhad a cure for warts, toothaches, poisonivy, headaches, nosebleeds, burns andboila. They butchered according to themoon. They were superstitious aboutbarking dogs, howling wIves, sneezingcats, first-laid eggs, falling stars, andbirthmarks •

Each village had a social coomittee tolook after widows, orphans, collec ttaxes, and keep general order. Theydealt with cases of public drunkenness,smoking on the street, and failure tokeep a light burning in the window atnight.

Sunday was observed as the "Sabbath." Noone was allowed to work and everyone wasexpected to attend church services.During the time of church meeting, notraffic was allo\ied on the street. Afterchurch was over, the colonists wouldgather in someone' s h:Jme for more prayerand the reading of scriptures. Dancing,loud laughing, card playing, love-makingand singing were oftentimes thought to be

9

sinful. Throwing garbage into the streetwas forbidden, and, if caught, carried afine. They upheld obedience; they weretaught hard work to avoid drunkenness andlaziness.

Easter and Christmas were celebrated asbeing holy days. One could always find adecorated tree in the church with apples,candy, candles and tinsel. On ChristmasEve, groups of carolers would sing to theshut-ins and elderly.

Marriages were performed in the church,but the celebrating was in the hane,sometimes lasting up to three days.There were all kinds of foods to eat aswell as a little "Schnapps."· The invita­tions were in the form of a writtenletter or by a rider on horseback. Thepractice of matcI-making was coomon. Evenhere, laughter and happiness were frownedupon. The practice of announcing thebanns three times continued here just asit had been in Germany.

After the grain and other crops were har­vested, the colonists would take it tothe city to be sold. While here theywuld make the necessary purchases tolast for the coming year. It was alwaysa time of great excitement. Long cara­vans of horse-drawn wagons stretchedalong the open plains. Household itemsand groceries would be purchased in largequantities.

Village life changed somewhat with everygeneration. As land became scarce, manymoved to the cities and took jobs infactories or as laborers. For the mostpart, they retained their customs andculture, and they exist in many far-flungcorners of the world today.

Conditions had indeed improved for theGerman colonists. While a few hadacquired great wealth, most all werecomfortable. They had turned the barrenwaste land into productive fields,started new industry, founded beautifulVillages, and built schools and churches.

369/Pritzkau

BRDn:N PRCIfiSES LEAD 1'0 MASS EXODUS

Catherine's manifesto of 1763 had giventhe German colonists special privileges.In 1871 these same pranises were abro­gated. From this time on, the Germans nolonger enjoyed living in Russia.

This change came about during the reignof Alexander II, who was very anti­German. From the beginning, the Germancolonists had enjoyed home rule, usedGerman language in schools and church,and had lived in closed colonies. On

June 4, 1871, a decree was issued thatwould change that. The Russian languagewas to be used, and their villages wouldsoon be incorporated into local Russiangovernment. Still worse was the law of1874 which made military service compul­sory for all Russian citizens, includingthe Germans. The promise of freedom frommilitary service for themselves and theirdescendants, for all time, was for themone of the most attractive features ofCatherine's manifesto.

Ufe in the Russian army was terrible.Often the soldier had to serve from 6 to20 years. Discipline was harsh, pay waspoor. The families that were left behindwere not provided for, and, more oftenthan not, they never saw each otheragain.

Even before the military law was passed,the Germans began to think aboutmigrating and sent some scouts to theUnited States and South America toinvestigate the possibility of a massmigration and the conditions of obtainingland.

The Homestead Act, signed by PresidentUncoln in 1862, made it possible for anyiJIInigrant willing to become a citizen toreceive 160 acres of free land. By 1873the railroads had reached across the vastplains of the midwest and, through thegovernment, had been endowed withmillions of acres of land. They hadspread immigration propaganda in Europe,attracting people who were interested inbecoming American farmers. Some of these

10

pamphlets had reached the German coloniesin south Russia.

In 1849, a group of tOlenty-one famil ies(eighty-three people led by Ludwig Bettefrom Johannestal) came to the UnitedStates. They boarded a small sailingvessel, the ·Constantia," which sailedfrom Odessa on July first (old style) a~

landed in New York Harbor on 22 Oc tober,some 101 da~ later. Some of this group,Bette included, found their way toKelleys Island, Erie County, Ohio. Theyseemed to prosper, as in 1872 Bet te re­turned to Russia to visit his relatives.His apparent wealth no doubt made animpression on his relatives and friends.He told them of the opportunities thatwere available in the United States.Ludwig Bette returned to this country onboard the "Westphalia" on August 2, 1872.

This good news must have spurred thecolonists to make ready for 1mnigrationto the United States as the first groupleft tliO months after Bette had leftFrom October 1 to November 13, foudifferent groups left Russia. Theysailed from Hamburg, Germany, and landedin New York.

They spent the first winter in America inSandusky, Ohio. The following spring allbut four families went to Yankton, !Jake taTerritory, becoming the first German­Russians to homestead there.

In September 1874, a small group of VolgaGermans came to Kansas, Nebraska, andArkansas. During the winter of 1874­1875 , ano ther snall group came to Redoak, Iowa, and a larger group going toLincoln, Nebraska.

In June 1873, a group of four hundredpersons from the Worms-Rohrbach area,near Odessa, settled in Sutton, Nebraska.

About three hundred thousand Germans leftRussia in search of freedom and land. Ofthis mmber, some went to South Amerieand Canada, but the bulk came to America.

The Volga Germans found their way to

369/Pritzkau

Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana,Wyaning, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Okla­homa, Iowa, and also Michigan and Cali­fornia.

The Black Sea German is mostly found inNorth Dakota; South Dakota; Sutton,Nebraska; Eastern Montana; Oklahoma;Idaho; California; Eastern Washington andColorado.

The migration lasted until the FirstWorld War.

THE FATE OF 'l'BOSE \/II) STAlED BEHIND

Although the remaining Gennans did notagree to all of the anti~rman measuresbrought about by Alexander III, theyadapted as best they could and seemed toprosper. After his death, his son,Nicolas II, relaxed the rules set forthby his father.

As a rule, the German colonists remainedloyal to the Tsar. They did not takepart in the revolution of 1905. In fact,many of th.... suffered heavy losses duringthe revolution through raids by the localRussian peasants. They had no desire totake part in any politics outside oftheir own Village.

At the begirming of the t_ntieth cen­tury, the German colonist had hit thepeak of economic prosperity. Most of his_alth was in the land and industry.They had large farms, nice houses, largeherds of horses and cattle, and ate verywell. His neighbors, the Russianpeasant, had not prospered.

A feeling of resentment against theGermans was spreading.

The outbreak of World War I was a shockfor the Germans in Russia. They became"enemies of the people." They were re­garded with suspicion and hatred by theRussians. Although many of their youngmen served in the Russian army, manygiving their lives, they were never to betrusted by the Russian government again.

11

After the war ended, many Germans leftRussia and returned to Germany.

The remaining Germans suffered greatly.Many were shipped to Siberia orTurkistan. They were not allowed tosettle in all German colonies. They were_forced to abandon their German cul ture.They were forbidden the use of the Gennanlanguage.

The villages of the Black Sea and Volgaare no longer inhabited by Gennans. Thechurches have been destroyed, and thevillage names changed so that today onewould never know that Germans had oncelived there.

Thousands perished while on forcedmarches. Thousands more died in laborcamps. Families were split up, never tosee each other again.

Today, as in the past, these Germans areonce again making agricultural history.Wherever they are living, they haveturned the barren waste lands intotimber, grain crops, row crops and vine­yards. They are producing crops wherenothing ever grew before.

Contact with the outside world islimited, but it is possible to exchangeletters with family members.

THE GERMAN RDSSIAH IN AMERICA

The voyage to America took anywhere fromseventeen days to several weeks, de­pending on the weather and the conditionof the vesseL

The immigrants left fran several ports,such as: . Hamburg, Bremen, Liebau(Russia), also the ports in Holland andFrance. Some of the people went first toEngland and then to North America.

Most of the imnigrants booked passage in"steerage." The quarters were cro\oded,dirty, and foul smelling. The food waspoor and the other passengers were some­times less than polite. In general, the

369IPri tzkau

voyage to America was anything butpleasant.

As soon as the ship docked, the passen­gers were subject to a medical examina­tion. If a person had a certain eyeinfection, called trachoma, they were notpermitted to go ashore. Thus, familieswere separated, and sometimes they weresent back to Germany alone, or they wentto South America where the restrictionswere less severe.

Once on land they were met by harbormissionaries of various churches. Usu­ally these missionaries guided them totowns where other German-Russians hadsettled. They advised them about trainschedules, places of departure, and howto exchange their money.

Another form of aid to the newcomer wasimmigrant houses which were found incities farther west. Accommodations wereavailable to those immigrants with littleor 00 funds.

As a rule, the Black Sea German boughttickets for the Dakota Territory, theVolga for Kansas and Nebraska. In lateryears, many German-Russians went toCanada.

As soon as suitable land was obtained,the settlers concerned themselves withproviding a shelter for their familiesand livestock. It was not uncommon forthe settler to live in a dugout, with thewagon box serving as roof, until a sodhouse was built.

The houses were all similar in construc:­tion, usually with two roans, a stoneoven for heating and cooking, smallwindows, dirt floor and one door. Sane­times the barn and house were under thesame roof with only a wall separating thetwo.

Trees were very scarce, being found inscattered hollows. Cow or buffalo chipswere gathered and dried for use as fuel.

The winters were long and hard. The

12

blizzards were so severe that many a_homesteader became lost and sometim'lfroze to death.

In the spring the virgin sod was plololedand crops were planted. Although a smallharvest was realized that first year, itwas two or three years before they hadenough for themselves and some to sell.

Wi thin a few years, the sod houses wet"ereplaced with fine homes. Large barns,herds of cattle and sheep, and windmillswere found on every farm.

Again, the German-Russian had turned un­occupied lands into the bread basket ofthe world.

Churches came later, as did the schoolhouses. For years, both school andchurch services were held in the Ger:nanlanguage.

Wherever the German-Russian settled, youwill find German names for many of trtowns, school districts, townships anu­church parishes. The names of villageswent from Germany to Russia to the UnitedStates, Canada and South America.

In contrast to their dorfs in Russia,rural farm life in the United States andCanada seemed very lonely and monotonous.The hanesteads were far apart, givingthem an iIlInense solitude and sense ofloneliness. At. least in Russia one hadnext door neighbors with whom they couldexchange words of greeting and comfort.

TI10ugh the German colonists .came fromRussia, they were not Russians. Further­more, they disliked being c:alled Russian.Just to look at them it was indeed diffi­cuI t to distinguish them from nativeRussians; however, that was just inappearance. The language, cul ture, andcustoms were strictly Germanic.

The first generation pioneers retain,much of their historical characteristics.Children of that generation associatedwith 00 one outside of the family unit orothers of their kind.

369/Pritzkau

With the coming of the First World War,the German colonists entered a period ofcultural transition. The process ofcultural fusion had been accelerated.Unfortunately, many descendsmts of thecolonists are ~ompletely uninformed oftheir heritage.

Those wanderers in transit for almost t>Io

13

centuries left their haDeland in Germanyin favor of Russia and ended by coming toAmerica. They were not gold-seekers orspeculators, but sought to build perma­nent homesteads, to help promote economicprogress, and to bestow upon their de­scendants the values of hard work, honesteffort, self-reliance, thrift and an un­dying faith in God.

BIllLIOGRAPHY

Aberle, George P. From the Steppes to the Prairies. Dickinson, N.D.: 1964.

Geisinger, Adam. From Catherine to Khrushchev. Saskatchewan: Marian Press, 1974.

!leight, Joseph S. Paradise on the Steppe. Bismark, N.D.: North !lakota Society ofGermans from Russia, 1972.

Keller, P. Conrad.Saskatoon:

The German Colonies in South Russia, 1804-1904.Western Producer, 1968-1973.

A. Becker, trans.

Rath, Georg. The Black Sea Germans in the Dakotas. Freeman, S.D.: Pine Hill Press,1977 •

Sallet, Richard. Russi~ermanSettlements in the United States. Lavern J. Rippleyand Arman Bauer, trans. Fargo, N.D.: Institute for Regional Studies, 1974.

Schock, Adolph. In Quest of Free Laud. San Jose, Calif.: San Jose State College,1967.

St\.lllPP, Karl. The Emigration from Germany to Russia, 1763-1862.St\.lllPP, 1972.

Tubingen: Karl

Other Resources – Germans from Russia

American Historical Society of Germans from Russia http://www.ahsgr.org/

Germans from Russia Heritage Society http://www.grhs.org/

Cyndi’s List – Germans from Russia http://www.cyndislist.com/germruss.htm

Wikipedia – History of Germans in Russia and the Soviet Union http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Germans_in_Russia_and_the_Soviet_Union

Germans from Russia Heritage Collection – NDSU Library http://library.ndsu.edu/grhc/

The Sidney Heitman German’s from Russia – Colorado State University http://lib.colostate.edu/gfr/

Bestandskartei der Rußlanddeutschen, 1750-1943 (Index cards of ethnic Germans in Russia)

Russisches geographisches Namenbuch : Kartenband – by Max Vasmer

German captured documents collection : reports from ethnic German communities in Ukraine, 1940-1944